The Wild Africa, a non-governmental organisation, has hailed the successful passage of the Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill, 2024.

This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday.

The bill is awaiting the president’s assent after its passage by the Senate on Tuesday. The House of Representatives passed the bill in May.

Mr Iyorah explained that the bill updated existing wildlife laws, increases penalties for wildlife crimes, and strengthens investigative powers for financial tracking and intelligence-led operations.

He disclosed that it empowers judges to fast-track wildlife cases, recover assets from offenders, and promote international cooperation through extradition and alignment with global treaties.

According to him, Nigeria has in the last decade become a major hub for the trafficking of ivory and pangolin scales to Asian markets.

He noted that Nigeria was linked to the smuggling of over 30 tonnes of ivory since 2015, and more than half of global pangolin scale trafficking between 2016 and 2019.

Environmental organisations, he said, praised the development, describing the bill as a decisive step in tackling organised wildlife trafficking.

Terseer Ugbor, the deputy chairman of the House Committee on Environment and the bill’s sponsor, described it as a huge win for Nigeria. He said the law would protect Nigeria’s forests and wildlife from exploitation and criminal activities, safeguarding the nation’s environment and future.

Tunde Morakinyo, executive director of the Africa Nature Investors Foundation, said the bill marked a historic milestone for Nigeria.

He explained that traffickers had long used Nigeria as a transit route for illegal wildlife trade to Europe and Asia, damaging the nation’s reputation. Mr Morakinyo said the new law would stop this destructive trade and make Nigeria a leader in wildlife protection across Africa.

Mary Rice, executive director of the Environmental Investigation Agency UK, said the legislation was a milestone showing Nigeria’s commitment to ending wildlife crime.

She urged full implementation, stressing that sustainable enforcement is key to prosecuting offenders and achieving long-term environmental protection.

Peter Knights, CEO of Wild Africa, expressed hope that President Bola Tinubu would promptly sign the bill into law before the UN CITES meeting in November. He said enacting the law before the meeting in Uzbekistan would highlight Nigeria’s commitment to fighting wildlife crime globally.

The Africa Nature Investors Foundation, EIA UK, and Wild Africa have long supported Nigeria’s anti-trafficking efforts. They included the Pangolin Conservation Fund, the UK Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, and the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs as partners.

EIA, through the EU-funded GUARD Wildlife Project, will support enforcement and ensure proper implementation of the new law.

(NAN)