Report of Nigerian Wildlife Crime Commission

December 2003

In October 2002 IPPL received a copy of the Report of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry to Investigate the Illegal Trade/Smuggling of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora into and out of Nigeria.

The Panel was established in February 2003 and was chaired by a retired and highly respected judge, the Hon. Justice J. U. Bassey. Its mission was to investigate the "Taiping Four" gorilla case.

Officials and civilians recommended for prosecution

The report identifies many people who should, it is recommended, be prosecuted, including civilians and allegedly corrupt government officials. These individuals included:

Dr Dora Olufunmilola Akinboye

Dr. Akinboye, the former Director of Ibadan Zoo, stated that the gorillas had been originally purchased from a dealer in Kano, Northern Nigeria. Akinboye claimed that in 1999 some Malaysians, accompanied by a Nigerian national, visited Ibadan Zoo. The guests stated that they were associated with Taiping Zoo. The Malaysians paid a second visit, bringing money and giving Dr. Akinboye a list of animals wanted by Taiping. Akinboye should have obtained export permits for animals from the Nigerian Ministry of the Environment Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, but the Malaysians told her to instead contact the Ministry’s Lagos office, which had no authority to issue CITES export permits. The Panel denounced Akinboye as a liar and associate of the dealer Odukoya who should be subjected to criminal prosecution and not allowed to hold any official position in the future.

Professor Mathew Ofierherhe Akusu

Akusu, a veterinarian, signed the health certificates for the baby gorillas. He stated that he had not personally inspected the animals. The Panel commented. "The professor was reckless in issuing the certificate of health which facilitated the export of the animals... There is no doubt that Professor Akusu was a crucial actor in the illegal transaction." The Panel called for the university to discipline Akusu, for the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Council to investigate him, and for criminal prosecution.

Alhaji Lateef Olofinjana Suberu

Suberu worked for the CITES Office at the Ministry of the Environment’s Lagos office. He stated that he believed that the baby gorillas were born at Ibadan Zoo. The Panel commented, "Alhaji Suberu struck the Panel as an officer of very low integrity, not befitting the sensitive office with which he is saddled. The Panel finds ample evidence of aiding and abetting to commit a crime of exportation of endangered species from Nigeria."

It is recommended that Suberu be immediately dismissed from his post and that he should be prosecuted.

Mr. Olugboyega Olubiyo Omotade

The Panel named Mr. Omotade, a Chief Environmental Scientist in the Ministry of the Environment, as "an active and willing accomplice" in the gorilla deal who should be prosecuted.

Engineer D. B. Usman

Usman failed to appear before the Panel. He was the man who actually signed the CITES permit for the gorillas, but he had recently retired. The panel recommended he be prosecuted.

Mr. Tunde Odukoya

The notorious animal dealer Odukoya did not appear before the commission. The Panel recommended, "The case should be referred to the Police and Security agencies with the aim of arresting and prosecuting him. He should be declared a wanted person with immediate effect."

The Panel also recommended criminal action against Alhaji Ali Lawan Yola and Bashir Garba Beli for facilitating the illegal trade in wildlife through Kano Airport in Northern Nigeria.

It also recommended action against Dr. Fola Kayode Idowu and Mr. Fola Olatunbosun, both officials at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos who allegedly facilitated the illegal wildlife trade.

Six dead gorillas at Nigerian zoo

The University of Ibadan also undertook an investigation and the letter below reporting on its finding shows that six baby gorillas died before the four were assembled for export to Malaysia. It also appears to confirm that all the gorillas originated in Cameroon.

Extracts from the letter dated 20 December 2002 signed by the University of Ibadan’s chief investigator, Dr. Abiodun Sanni, Professor of Food Microbiology, follow (unedited).

During our course of investigation the Panel noted that out of [US$11,100] expended on the purchase of animals from the 1st July, 2001 to 31st December, 2001, [US$8,770] was used in purchasing one female gorilla [US$1,010] one female lowland gorilla [US$1,434], one baby gorilla/one baby Chimpanzee [US$2,090], one male gorilla [US$932] and one lowland gorilla [US$2,600]. Dr. (Mrs.) D.O. Akinboye, the immediate past Acting Director explained the rationale behind spending such a huge amount on gorilla only, saying that it was to fulfill the Animal Exchange Cooperation between University of Ibadan Zoo and Taiping Zoo, Malaysia. However, all efforts by our panel to have access to the documents relevant to the Exchange cooperation, proved abortive.

To our dismay, the panel also noted that all the gorillas were recorded as dead within few weeks of acquisition. When further demanded to locate the carcasses of the dead gorilla, neither the management nor the Zoo workers was forthcoming.

However, when we requested for the postmortem record of dead Zoo animals over a period of time, from the Dept. Of Veterinary Pathology, a list forwarded to the Panel by Prof. S. O. Akpavie, the then Head of Department, included 6 dead gorillas.

To my utter dismay, my attention was drawn to the issue of illegal trade of endangered primates in the University of Ibadan, Zoological Gardens, on the Internet. On further enquiry, this endangered primate turned out to be gorillas which also formed the focal point of our investigation.

However, few days ago, I received some documents from the World Primate Association [IPPL] that poses more questions on the dead gorillas. The association has not taken the matter lightly. The Presidency has been notified of this act of illegality supposedly committed by the University of Ibadan, Zoo...

Sir, as the Chief Executive Officer of this great University, the onus is on you to step into this matter decisively. I reliably learnt that the Presidency has waded into this potentially scandalous issue of trading in endangered animal species.

The letter identified a firm named ABISEF VENTURES as the supplier of the animals to Ibadan Zoo. Unfortunately Dr. Sanni’s main objection to the shipment seemed to be the price the university had paid to acquire the gorillas and the "expected spiral international condemnation of Ibadan Zoological Garden’s involvement in the scandalous deal ... which is a potential threat to the image of the University, which may impact negatively on various collaborative partnerships abroad."

PLEASE REQUEST ACTION AGAINST NIGERIAN SMUGGLERS IPPL would like to see those identified as wildlife criminals by the Nigerian Report of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry prosecuted. Please contact President Olusegun Obasanjo requesting tough action against all wildlife criminals identified by the Presidential Commission, including Mr. Dora Akinboye, former Director of Ibadan Zoo. Postage from the United States to Nigeria costs 80 cents per ounce. Address: Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria Federal Secretariat Shehu Shagari Way Abuja, Nigeria In addition, please contact the Ambassador or High Commission of Nigeria to you country of residence. The US and UK addresses are: Embassy of Nigeria 1333-16TH Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20036 Nigeria High Commission Nigeria House 9 Northumberland Avenue London WC2N 5BX You can locate the address for your country at the official Government of Nigeria website http://www.nigerianembassy.org/