Today, Wildlife Justice is publishing From inception to impact: 10 years of Wildlife Justice, reporting on a decade of investigations, law enforcement partnerships, and policy engagement to disrupt the organised criminal networks driving wildlife trafficking.
From inception to impact: New report charts 10 years of Wildlife Justice Read more »
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From major enforcement successes in Nigeria and Liberia, to cross-border cooperation in southern Africa and high-level discussions at the United Nations in Vienna and New York, one message stands out: criminal networks operate across borders, and effective responses must do the same.
From local action to global impact: Disrupting criminal networks through partnership Read more »
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Four suspected wildlife traffickers have been arrested in Nigeria following a complex operation supported by the Wildlife Justice Commission, resulting in the seizure of 130.84 kg of ivory.
Four suspected wildlife traffickers arrested and 130 kg of ivory seized in Nigeria Read more »
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A suspected wildlife trafficking kingpin, Shamsideen Abubakar, has been arrested in Nigeria following a joint operation involving the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the Wildlife Justice Commission.
The world came to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to learn from Nigeria’s experience. The occasion was CITES CoP20, the once-every-three-years global conference where governments decide how to protect endangered species by regulating international wildlife trade.
From transit hub to global model: How Nigeria gave pangolins a fighting chance Read more »
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The Wildlife Justice Commission brought real-world evidence and insights from its investigations directly to governments and decision-makers recently at the 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The Wildlife Justice Commission welcomes the historic decisions taken at CITES CoP20 over the past two days to significantly strengthen global protections for threatened shark and ray species. These measures include the uplisting of oceanic whitetip sharks and whale sharks to Appendix I; new Appendix II listings for gulper sharks, smooth-hound sharks and tope sharks, and increased protections for ray species.
Wildlife Justice Commission welcomes uplistings of shark and ray species at CITES CoP20 Read more »
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This month brought significant progress in our mission to dismantle the criminal networks driving wildlife trafficking. From major convictions in Nigeria, to operational successes in India, to global action at CITES CoP20 and the United for Wildlife Global Summit, the momentum for stronger enforcement and international cooperation is growing—and the Wildlife Justice Commission is playing a central role in driving that change.
The Wildlife Justice Commission
welcomes the conviction on 7 November 2025 of a wildlife trafficker illegally selling pangolin scales in Nigeria.
The conviction marks another significant outcome of Wildlife Justice’s partnership with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to combat wildlife trafficking.
The latest updates from the Wildlife Justice Commission as we advance our mission of disrupting transnational wildlife trafficking. From briefing the UK Parliament to expanding cooperation in Nigeria, our recent work underscores the urgency of collective action to prevent species extinction.
Disrupting wildlife trafficking: Policy, partnerships, and action Read more »
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The Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) and Nigeria’s National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen Nigeria’s response to organised wildlife crime.
The Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) has published a new report revealing a remarkable and sustained disruption in the trafficking of pangolin scales and ivory from Africa to Asia. Titled Disruption and Disarray: An analysis of pangolin scale and ivory trafficking, 2015–2024, the report documents a sharp decline in significant seizures since 2020, pointing to a shift in the criminal landscape and the potential long-term impact of targeted law enforcement efforts.
We’re proud to share our latest report, Disruption and Disarray, which takes a deep dive into pangolin and ivory trafficking trends over the last decade —revealing a significant and sustained disruption in the flow of these products from Africa to Asia.
In a major strike against wildlife trafficking in Nigeria, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), supported by the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), arrested five suspects and seized 3.765 tonnes of pangolin scales in Lagos, an amount estimated to represent the killing of over 1,900 pangolins.
In a significant victory against transnational wildlife crime, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the arrest of a suspected high-level Chinese wildlife trafficker in Lagos. Acting on intelligence provided by the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), NCS carried out the arrest on 19 February 2025. This operation represents a critical disruption to organised wildlife crime networks operating between Nigeria and Asia.
On 5 December 2024, a major operation led by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), with support from the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC), has resulted in the arrest of a suspected pangolin scale broker and the seizure of 2.179 tonnes of pangolin scales, equivalent to approximately 1,100 pangolins.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), with support from the Wildlife Justice Commission, successfully conducted two major operations on 8 August 2024, resulting in the combined seizure of over 9.4 tonnes of pangolin scales and arrests of four suspects. These operations mark a significant achievement in the ongoing efforts to dismantle wildlife trafficking networks in Nigeria.
In a landmark joint operation, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), supported by the Wildlife Justice Commission has successfully arrested two major wildlife traffickers in Nigeria. These arrests are linked to the significant seizure of 1.58 tonnes of ivory at Lach Huyen International Port, Hai Phong, Vietnam on 27 March 2024.
Demonstrating the ongoing commitment of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to combat wildlife crime, three suspected wildlife traffickers were apprehended in Nigeria on 4 February 2024, with a fourth arrest made on 6 February 2024. This successful operation was a joint intelligence-led investigation by the NCS and the Wildlife Justice Commission, targeting illicit wildlife supplier networks.
Arrest of four wildlife traffickers in joint operation with Nigeria Customs Service Read more »
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In a joint intelligence-led operation with the Wildlife Justice Commission, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Special Wildlife Office and the Enforcement Team has arrested Mr Felix Maiva on 28 September. Mr Maiva was arrested in connection with the January 2021 seizure of illegal wildlife products from Apapa Port, Nigeria, which was bound for Haiphong, Vietnam.
Today, the BBC has published a special report highlighting the work of the Wildlife Justice Commission in Nigeria and the successes it has achieved in disrupting the trafficking of wildlife from the country, in partnership with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). The report features an interview with the Wildlife Justice Commission’s Director of Programs Steve Carmody and Van, one of our female undercovers.
On Wednesday 19 July, the trial of three Vietnamese and one Guinean national accused of trafficking 7.1 tonnes of pangolin scales and 850 kgs of ivory concluded in Nigeria with the conviction of the four accused. The judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Lagos sentenced the accused to six years of imprisonment each or payment of fines in lieu of imprisonment.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) announced today that they have arrested eight suspects connected with the trafficking of pangolin scales and ivory from Nigeria.
Acting on local intelligence, the Nigeria Customs Service conducted an operation in Awoyaya on 2 February 2022, arresting four suspects and seizing 839.40 kilograms of pangolin scales and 145 kilograms of elephant ivory.
This new operation follows up on the one effected last July into the criminal network believed to be responsible for more than 50% of the major global ivory and pangolin seizures between 2018-2021.
The Wildlife Justice Commission congratulates the Nigeria Customs Service for this successful operation, the ninth largest pangolin scale seizure in three years.
