NIGERIA — The Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced four foreigners to six years in prison for wildlife trafficking. Three Vietnamese nationals and a Cameroonian were convicted after they pleaded guilty to an amended four-count charge.
Under a plea bargain agreement with Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), each convict will serve three years' imprisonment or pay a fine of N500,000 on the first count. Additionally, two years imprisonment or N2m each as a fine will be served or paid in lieu of punishment on the second count, and a N2m fine will be imposed on the third count.
The fourth count carries a sentence of one year in prison or a fine of N200,000. The convicts agreed to provide useful information to the authorities regarding the arrest of other persons involved in the illegal wildlife trafficking within and outside Nigeria.
The four foreigners had been standing trial since last year, alongside two Nigerians and a Guinean, for alleged illegal possession of pangolin scale and elephant ivory, smuggling, and trading.
Upon arrest, they were found to have committed the offenses between 2018 and 2022 in Lagos during joint wildlife enforcement operations by NCS and the Wildlife Justice Commission targeting illegal wildlife traders and traffickers. Channels TV reports.
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