Customs Intercept Lion Cub, Patas Monkeys in Midnight Wildlife Trafficking Bust

Kehinde Adeleye
Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service NCS Seme Area Command have intercepted a vehicle smuggling endangered wildlife through Lagos in violation of national and international conservation laws.
The interception occurred at about 2:19 a.m. on Sunday 16 November 2025 during a routine stop and search at Gbaji along the Badagry Seme Expressway in Lagos State.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the Command Public Relations Officer Chief Superintendent of Customs Isah Sulaiman officers stopped a blue Mazda with registration number MUS 743 HA. A search of the vehicle uncovered a lion cub and two Patas monkeys. Both species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES which Nigeria has committed to upholding.
The two occupants of the vehicle identified as Mr Mathew Kofi a Beninese national and Mr Nasiru Usman Gwandu a Nigerian admitted ownership of the animals. They told customs officials that they purchased the wildlife in Kano and were transporting them through Lagos to the Benin Republic.
Customs personnel immediately seized the animals and documented them while both men were detained for further investigation. Authorities say part of the ongoing inquiry is to determine whether the suspects are connected to a wider wildlife trafficking network that regularly passes through Lagos corridors.
To ensure the welfare of the rescued animals the lion cub and the monkeys were handed over on Sunday to the Greenfingers Wildlife Initiative. The transfer was carried out by Deputy Comptroller AY Mohammed on behalf of the Customs Area Controller Comptroller Wale Adenuga.
Comptroller Adenuga reaffirmed the Command commitment to enforcing wildlife protection laws strengthening environmental conservation efforts and securing Lagos border routes. He also pledged stronger cooperation with relevant agencies to combat the illegal trade in endangered species.