The gruesome sight of animal heads, feathers, and mutilated limbs piled into luggage should horrify any decent society. But in Nigeria, it has almost become another footnote in a long, shameful tale of environmental neglect. On March 12, 2025, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Mfum/Ekok Joint Border Station in Cross River State intercepted yet another consignment of trafficked animal parts - ghastly proof that the nation remains a soft underbelly for the global black market in endangered species. This time, it was a horrifying cache believed to have been smuggled in from Cameroon: 213 parrot heads, 29 packs of parrot feathers, 128 African hornbill heads, 5 eagle heads, eagle feathers, and the dismembered remains of two chimpanzees - heads, hands, and feet. The suspect behind this macabre trade was arrested and remains in custody, as investigations continue. At a press briefing in Calabar, the Area Controller of the Cross River/Calabar Free Trade Zone/Akwa Ibom Area Command, Comptroller Chukwudi Ogbonna, condemned the crime as a grave violation of both national and international laws, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCSA) of 2023. "This illegal wildlife trade not only undermines our biodiversity but also fuels transnational crime, threatening economic stability and public safety," Ogbonna said.