Nigerian customs authorities at the port of Lekki sized a record 7.1 tons of pangolin scales on Wednesday and arrested three suspects. A fourth, believed to be the smuggling kingpin is still at large. The endangered pangolin is now the most hunted mammal on earth and a seizure this large means that, depending on the weight, between 3,000-9,000 of these shy animals were killed. 44kg of ivory was also seized in the raid. Most of these wildlife products are bound for Asia, specifically to China. (REUTERS)
The International Court of Arbitration in Paris ruled against the Nigerian government in a contract dispute with a Chinese power company and Abuja will now pay the firm a $200 million settlement. The settlement is compensation to Sunrise Power and Transmission Company for the unlawful termination 2017 of a contract in 2017 to build the 1,525 megawatts Mambilla hydropower project and then re-awarded the same deal to another Chinese firm. Sunrise had sought $400 million in damages. (PUNCH)
