Ivory seized from a colonel’s car |
Wildlife
officials arrested two people who have been charged in Djoum following the
seizure of 216 ivory tusks and 81 elephant tails from the car of a gendarmerie
colonel on December 11, 2017
The two were
charged with illegal detention and commercialization of protected wildlife
species and are to appear in court on December 19, 2017. The colonel whose car
contained the ivory was ferried to Yaounde with the ivory tusks that was handed
over to the Ministry of Forestry and wildlife.
Following the arrest of the two
that included the driver and a suspected ivory trafficker who were transporting
the contraband, wildlife officials immediately set to ensure the judicial
process of prosecuting the traffickers was followed according the law governing
the sector. The two were interrogated at the Djoum gendarmerie brigade and a
complaint report established by wildlife officials. The matter was immediately
forwarded to the Djoum state counsel. The entire legal procedure is technically
assisted by LAGA, a wildlife law enforcement support body.
Some conservationists say the
presence of a military vehicle in yet another wildlife trafficking case is
disturbing and may finally buttress accusations by some investigative reports
of the suspicious role played by some unruly military people in wildlife
trafficking in the country and the sub region. This may be indicating a trend
that is yet to be uncovered and those involved prosecuted. In 2014, at a control post in Nsimalen 185
ivory tusks were seized from another military vehicle.
According to Ofir Drori, the
Founder and Director of the EAGLE Network, a network that groups wildlife law
enforcement organisations in several countries,
speaking from his Nairobi residence shortly after news came in on the
arrests and seizure declared, “wildlife officials did a very commendable job considering the
involvement of the military” while further insisting that “the judicial process
in prosecuting all those involved should be strictly followed.
According to the 1994 wildlife
law, anyone found in possession of whole or part of a protected wildlife
species is considered to have killed or captured the animal and is liable to a
prison term of up to 3 years and or a fine of up to 10 million francs. The law
further stipulates that the punishment is doubled when the offence is committed
by a law enforcement officer. This may be deterring enough, most especially for
those involved in trafficking in the Djoum area which is considered to be an
ivory trafficking hotspot in the country and suspicions are rife on involvement
of some officials there.
The situation is even more
complicated considering the increasing rate at which elephants are killed for
their ivory and the fact that some of the wildlife parks in the country are
guarded by the military. The Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife may finally be
coming to grasp with the situation and attacking the issues head on considering
the seriousness with the arrest and prosecution have been handled at senior
levels within the ministry.
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