Nigeria has disposed of 2.5 tonnes of confiscated elephant tusks in an effort to safeguard its declining elephant population from the activities of the wildlife traffickers, Nigeria's National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) said on Tuesday.
"In a groundbreaking move to combat the illegal ivory trade and protect its dwindling elephant population, Nigeria has successfully organised its first-ever ivory crush, destroying significant stockpiles of confiscated elephant tusks and worked," NESREA said on X.
The seized tusks are reportedly valued at over 9.9 billion naira ($11.2 million).
Over the past 30 years, poaching for ivory, habitat degradation, and human-elephant conflict have significantly reduced the elephant population in Nigeria from an estimated 1,500 to less than 400.
Nigeria has become a major exit point for the illegal wildlife trade from Africa to Asian markets. Nevertheless, the country has "incredible potential" to protect its remaining animal species, the Wild Africa Fund reported.
Thus, the West African country has intensified its efforts to combat smuggling in recent years, working with foreign authorities as well as international organizations, resulting in its largest confiscation of illegal wildlife products in August 2021, the media reported.