Pangolin Scales.
Mamoduo Barete, a Guinean national, has been convicted by Justice Yelim Bogoro of the Federal High Court in Lagos for the trafficking and trading of pangolin scales, an endangered wildlife species. The court has sentenced him to a two-year imprisonment term.
According statement issued by the official X channel of the Nigerian Customs Service on Thursday, Mamoduo Barete was convicted by the NCS on charges of conspiracy, trafficking, and trading in pangolin scales. This offense is in violation of Section 516 of the Criminal Code, 2004, and is punishable by law.
The statement mentioned, “The sitting judge, Justice Yelim Bogoro, sentenced Barete to two years imprisonment or the option of paying a sum of N500,000 fine.
“He also said that the period spent with the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigeria Correctional Service shall be considered and recorded.”
As reported by the NCS, the individual convicted is among the suspects apprehended during a collaborative operation with the Wildlife Justice Commission in December 2022.
The statement further notes that this conviction brings the total number of successful prosecutions by the service in illegal wildlife cases to at least 11, spanning from May to December 12, 2023.
“Tens of other wildlife trafficking suspects are standing trial in court,” the statement read.