The eagle-eyed synergy between the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) has officially welcomed 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.
A statement sent from the WJC Head Office in The Hague, the Netherlands to the Head Office of Business Hilights in Lagos today, Friday, November 14, 2025, revealed that “The Federal High Court in Lagos convicted Steven Chinonso (also known as Chukwunonso Stephen Obunadike), and who was operating out of Jakande Market, on three charges — conspiracy, unlawful possession, and illegal sale of pangolin scales — following a series of joint operations that disrupted a key supplier in Nigeria’s illegal wildlife trade.
“The conviction stemmed from intelligence gathered by Wildlife Justice and shared with NCS. Acting on this intelligence, NCS officers seized 1,003.9 kilograms of pangolin scales during two controlled operations in March 2025 and arrested Chinonso on 2 April 2025. He was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment on each count, to run concurrently.
“The Wildlife Justice Commission commends the Nigeria Customs Service for its decisive leadership and ongoing commitment to tackling transnational wildlife trafficking networks, setting a benchmark for effective enforcement in the region. The enforcement landscape in Nigeria has changed. Traffickers who once operated with impunity are now facing real consequences. This conviction sends a clear message that Nigeria is no longer a safe haven for wildlife crime,” said Olivia Swaak-Goldman, Executive Director of the Wildlife Justice Commission.
“Importantly, Nigeria’s newly passed Endangered Species Conservation and Protection Bill will soon allow for stronger penalties — up to 10 years in prison and fines of 12 million naira (approximately USD 8,300) — thus strengthening the fight against trafficking,” Swaak-Goldman added.
A model of intelligence-led enforcement
Business Hilights was further informed in the statement that “Since the Wildlife Justice–NCS partnership began in July 2021, it has become a model for effective, intelligence-led enforcement.
Together, Wildlife justice and NCS have:
Conducted 18 successful operations;
Arrested 42 wildlife traffickers;
Seized over 25 tonnes of pangolin scales and 1 tonne of ivory; and
Secured 13 convictions — including the first convictions of Vietnamese nationals in Nigeria on wildlife crime charges.
The Steven Chinonso conviction marks the 13th conviction achieved under this partnership — and the 11th globally for Wildlife Justice-supported investigations in 2025, following the conviction of ten traffickers in Madagascar earlier this year.
Globally, the Wildlife Justice Commission’s mission is to disrupt and dismantle the transnational criminal networks trafficking wildlife, timber, and fish by collecting evidence and turning it into accountability so that organised crime is not driving species to extinction. We achieve this through intelligence analysis, undercover investigations, and helping law enforcement secure arrests and convictions. Additionally, we strengthen the capabilities of prosecutors and judges to effectively tackle wildlife crime. Beyond enforcement, we share our expertise to influence policy at global and multilateral fora, helping to build political will to combat wildlife crime.
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