ICPC Chairman Calls for Wildlife Trafficking to Be Treated as Organised Financial Crime
ICPC Chairman Calls for Wildlife Trafficking to Be Treated as Organised Financial Crime
ICPC Chairman Calls for Wildlife Trafficking to Be Treated as Organised Financial Crime
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has called for a new global approach to combating environmental crime, insisting that wildlife trafficking should be treated as an organised financial crime rather than solely a conservation issue.
Dr. Aliyu made the call while addressing the 35th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), where he highlighted the critical role corruption plays in sustaining illegal wildlife trade networks across the world.
According to the ICPC chairman, wildlife trafficking thrives because of an enabling environment created by corruption, which allows criminal syndicates to move illicit products, funds, documents and influence across borders.
“Wildlife trafficking survives not simply because criminal networks are sophisticated, but because corruption creates the enabling environment through which illicit actors move products, money, documents and influence,” he stated.
He explained that traffickers often rely on bribery at ports, the manipulation of customs documentation, and the abuse of export permits to facilitate the illegal movement of wildlife products.
Dr. Aliyu described the challenge as a complex ecosystem of vulnerabilities involving transportation networks, financial systems and enforcement institutions.
As part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s response to environmental crimes, the ICPC chairman announced the establishment of a dedicated unit within the commission focused specifically on environmental crime investigations.
He said the initiative reflects a strategic decision to accord environmental crimes the same level of attention traditionally given to offences such as money laundering and terrorism financing.
According to him, effective investigations into wildlife trafficking must simultaneously focus on three key areas: the illicit products being traded, the financial transactions supporting the trade, and the corrupt individuals or systems enabling criminal operations.
Dr. Aliyu further stressed the importance of deploying advanced investigative tools, including link analysis, digital evidence exploitation and financial profiling, to dismantle the networks behind wildlife trafficking operations.
He also acknowledged the contributions of international partners, particularly the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) UK, for supporting the ICPC’s efforts to strengthen institutional capacity in tackling environmental crimes.
The ICPC chairman called for stronger corruption-risk prevention mechanisms within customs, licensing and border management institutions, noting that institutional integrity remains essential to disrupting illicit trade networks.
“If corruption is the lubricant of wildlife trafficking networks, then integrity, intelligence and interagency cooperation must become the tools through which those networks are dismantled,” he said.
Dr. Aliyu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening anti-corruption measures and enhancing collaboration with international partners in the fight against environmental crime and illicit financial activities.
ICPC Chairman Calls for Wildlife Trafficking to Be Treated as Organised Financial Crime
