The Conservator General of the National Park Service, Dr. Ibrahim Musa Goni, has disclosed that a total of N83, 233,397 was generated in revenue by the Service nationwide from January till date (December).
The sum, according to him, was derived from various sources such as ecotourism and other sources which were remitted to the coffers of the government.
Goni made the disclosure Friday in Abuja while presenting the National Park Service scorecard for the 2023.
He also said several arrests of violators’ like bandits, grazers, hunters, loggers and others were also made by the Service
“A total of 646 arrests which included 44 hunters, 222 grazers, 131 loggers, and 249 others were made across various national parks in the country with Gashaka-Gumti recording the highest number of arrests.
“In relation to banditry incidents, 37 suspects were apprehended in connection with mining/banditry in Old Oyo National Park, while Kainji Lake National Park arrested three suspected bandits and neutralised five others. Four victims were rescued during these operations, and various items such as motorcycles, phones, and machetes were recovered.
“A total of 646 cases were prosecuted in the National Parks during the period. The breakdown of the prosecution cases is as follows: 161 convictions, 215 fines, 119 warnings and discharges, and 151 cases pending. Cross River and Gashaka-Gumti National Parks recorded the highest number of convictions,” he said.
On how the Service was able to do that, Goni said the NPS, a policy document on combating wildlife and forest crime in Nigeria which was done in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, “is working for us.”
He said the Service currently manages seven National Parks spread across the different ecological and geopolitical zones in the country
