The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command, has intercepted a live Olive Ridley Sea Turtle suspected to have been targeted for illegal wildlife trade along the Nigeria-Benin border, reinforcing its efforts to prevent the trafficking of endangered species.
The interception was made at about 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, 2026, during a routine patrol by Customs officers along a footpath linking Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.
According to the Command, the officers sighted a suspicious individual carrying a sack. However, on noticing the approaching patrol team, the suspect abandoned the sack and fled into a nearby bush, evading arrest despite efforts by the officers to apprehend him.
A search of the abandoned sack revealed a live Pacific Ridley Sea Turtle, also known as the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).
The animal was immediately secured and kept in safe custody before being handed over to the relevant wildlife authorities for proper care, rehabilitation and eventual release into its natural habitat in line with established conservation practices.
The Acting Customs Area Controller, Seme Area Command, Deputy Comptroller Norman Olisah Alumanah, described the interception as a demonstration of the vigilance, discipline and professionalism of officers, stressing that the Service would not allow Nigeria’s borders to become corridors for wildlife trafficking.
He reiterated the commitment of the Nigeria Customs Service to protecting endangered species and enforcing national and international conservation laws.
Wildlife trafficking remains a major transnational organised crime, threatening biodiversity, disrupting ecosystems and undermining sustainable development. Sea turtles, particularly the Olive Ridley species, face growing threats from illegal exploitation for their meat, eggs, shells, traditional medicine and the exotic pet trade.
Nigeria is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), adopted in 1973 to regulate international trade in wild animals and plants and ensure that such trade does not threaten their survival.
The country domesticated the Convention through the Endangered Species (Control of International Trade and Traffic) Act, Cap E9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, which criminalises unauthorised hunting, capture, possession, trade, importation and exportation of endangered species.
Similarly, the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, empowers the Service to enforce relevant import and export regulations, including the suppression of smuggling and illicit trade in endangered wildlife.
Alumanah expressed appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the management of the Service for providing enhanced logistics and operational assets to strengthen the Command’s enforcement capacity.
He also called on residents of border communities to support the Service with credible intelligence, noting that the fight against wildlife trafficking required collective responsibility and cooperation.
While warning smugglers, poachers and their collaborators to desist from the illegal trade, the Acting Controller disclosed that the Command had intensified patrols, surveillance and intelligence gathering across its area of responsibility.
He added that the Command would complement enforcement operations with stakeholder education and sensitisation on endangered species, their ecological importance and the legal consequences of their unauthorised trade.
The interception, according to the Command, underscores the Service’s broader commitment to revenue generation, suppression of smuggling, trade facilitation and border security, as well as its role in environmental protection and the preservation of Nigeria’s biodiversity.