The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) said in a statement that it confiscated two hyenas, one porcupine and 24 of the brightly coloured birds from traffickers on April 9 in Maiduguri, the capital of northeastern Borno state, where a 17-year insurgency has turned forest reserves into jihadist strongholds.

Pictures shared by customs on X showed the birds wrapped tightly into sewn brown jute sacks.

"The destination of the seized wildlife products was found out to be Kano," in the country's northwest, customs spokesman Abdullahi Maiwada told AFP.

NCS said in a separate statement that at least six live pangolins were seized in the country's northwest in March.

Wildlife trafficking is rampant in Africa's most populous country despite attempts to clamp down, with traffickers, including foreign nationals, exploiting outdated and weak laws.

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) said late last year that a "Chinese kingpin" and several Vietnamese nationals were arrested for wildlife trafficking in the country.

Customs said in April 2025 that 7.2 tonnes of pangolin scales linked to a Chinese trafficker were seized in Ogun state in the southwest of the country -- one of the largest such seizures in the world since 2020, according to customs boss Adewale Adeniyi.

The Nigerian Senate last October passed a bill aimed at overhauling wildlife protection laws, which were last enacted in 1985.

If signed into law by the president, offenders could face fines of up to 12 million naira (about $8,840) and up to 10 years in prison for trafficking elephant ivory, pangolin scales and other products from threatened species.