A Photo File of Birds More Than 1,600 Seized In Lagos Airport

Nigeria’s customs services says it has seized over 1,600 birds bound for Kuwait, in what it described as the country’s “largest” wildlife-trafficking bust.

Ring-necked parrots and green- and yellow-fronted canaries were intercepted at Lagos International Airport, by Nigeria’s Customs Service (NCS) on 31 July, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

It is the “largest” seizure by number, NCS spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada told the newsmen, in a country where wildlife trafficking is frequent.

Nigeria’s porous borders, widespread corruption and weak enforcement have made it a key transit hub for ivory, pangolin scales and other wildlife products.