By Inusa Musah.
The Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission has promised to up its surveillance on the criminal activities of wildlife traffickers, especially those who are using Ghana as their transit point.
To effectively clamp down on these traffickers, therefore, Nana Kofi Adu-Nsiah, Executive Director of the Wildlife Division, said his outfit would collaborate with the Customs, Police, Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), Airport Officials, informants and their intelligence networks to combat any form of wildlife crime.
Nana Adu-Nsiah said these following news report on The Associated Press, a foreign news portal, with the headline: ‘Malaysia seizes 400 kilograms (kg) of pangolin scales from Ghana.’
The 400kg of the scales of the homely-protected species, the report said, were seized at 9.15am Malaysian local time, on July 16, 2017, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Malaysian customs officials seized the pangolin scales from Ghana in 16 boxes labelled oyster shells, worth US$1.17 million, and, according to The AP, the boxes arrived on a Turkish Airline flight from Ghana.
The AP report said no one had been arrested in connection with the trafficking of the pangolin scales. Nana Adu-Nsiah told a cross-section of the media in Accra that Ghana’s NACOB had been able to pick up Prosper Kumako, Prince Anim and Robert Konu, as suspects in the illegal exportation of the pangolin scales to Malaysia.
While Prosper Kumako and Prince Anim were picked up on July 27, 2017, Robert Konu was arrested on July 29, 2017, and, according to him, the trio confessed facilitating and exporting the 400kg pangolin scales, worth US$1.17 million.
Robert Konu, the Director said, mentioned a Chinese as his source of supply of the stock through another accomplice in Nigeria, then, he [Robert] facilitates the exportation from Ghana to Malaysia.
“Robert explained that he receives the stock through Nigeria bus stations, and that Lee, his Chinese source, sends him [Robert] money through Lee’s friends in Ghana for the processing fees, as well as his commissions.
“Robert has given the Chinese and Nigerian phone numbers for further investigations, and is currently assisting in further investigations at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service,” Nana Kofi Adu-Nsiah, said.
By his narrative, Nana Kofi Adu-Nsiah said: “It is becoming evidently clear that some wildlife traffickers are using Ghana as transit destination to operate their nefarious activities.
“We would like to send the message to them that we have the police in Ghana, and we will smoke them out.”
Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy, while in Vietnam and some parts of China, its scales of keratin, the protein also found in the fingernails and rhino horn, are widely used in traditional Chinese medicines.
Its scales enhance the libido and have some narcotic content, Nana Kofi Adu-Nsiah further informed his media guests.
Ghana has three of the four species in the whole of Africa, and with Asia, having endangered all their four species, demand for the pangolin has been shifted to Africa. However, Nana Kofi Adu-Nsiah assured the citizenry that the state would ensure that our species are protected.
Pangolin can be domesticated, except that it has a long life-span of about 30 years or 40, thus making it a huge task for rearing.
By Inusa Musah. The Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission has promised to up its surveillance on the criminal activities of wildlife traffickers, especially those who are using Ghana as their transit point. To effectively clamp down on these traffickers, therefore, Nana Kofi Adu-Nsiah, Executive Director of the Wildlife Division, said his outfit would […] Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS