West Africa: Wildlife trade criminals

Countries in West Africa have been urged to conduct investigations into the money-laundering activities of wildlife traffickers.

A new report by the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank, has warned that criminals in the wildlife trade have relocated to West Africa from other parts of the continent

This is in order to take advantage of weak law enforcement and a lack of investigations, the report says.

In the last few years West Africa has become a major transit point for illegal trade in wildlife – including elephant tusks poached elsewhere in Africa as well as pangolins.

In 2019 51 tonnes of pangolin scales were exported through Nigeria alone.

The country has been identified as the top transit point for illegal wildlife trade in the region.

By bbc