ABSTRACT
Nigeria’s rich biological diversity (flora and fauna) is rapidly being depleted due to unsustainable utilisation, over-exploitation, poaching, and illegal trade, both nationally and internationally, leading to the endangerment of these genetic resources. Nigeria became a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) in 1974, which was ratified and entered into force on July 1, 1975. In spite of the enforcement of national law and the CITES framework for the protection of the endangered species, illegal international trade/trafficking and poaching of CITES-listed species still abound. In the last decade, over 450 arrests were made in which 119 were compounded and 86 offenders were jailed. All the prosecutions were based on the admittance of guilt, without contention. Hitherto, there had not been any need for scientific/forensic evidence for the trial and prosecution of CITES violators in Nigeria. In criminal trials, forensic science is usually applied in contentious areas. Expert opinion is therefore needed where the expert can furnish the court with scientific or other information of a technical nature that is likely to be outside the experience and knowledge of the court. This chapter discusses the first attempt at setting legal standards by Nigeria in Partnership with the Consortium for Barcode of Life (CBOL) and the requirements for the use of DNA Barcode evidence in the conviction and prosecution of violators of the CITES convention.
