Trade in vulture parts continue unabated in Nigeria's open markets. Vultures are captured, persecuted, killed and sold for traditional medicines which is largely on the bases of traditional beliefs.
Hooded vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus) are critically endangered species based on IUCN red list ratings. They have locally extinct in most communities in the country but despite the law against endangered species, no enforcement efforts or willingness is demonstrated by the law makers and law enforcement agencies in the country giving more chance for increased merciless killings of the animals in the country.
The environmental significance of vultures will not be over emphasized; they clean the environment, they do that better than other animals that can further spread diseases if they encountered dead animals that are infected. Vultures' stomach can kill any bacteria eaten by the bird thereby serving as dead end to most diseases hence, they are the best avian species that controls diseases even as they sanitise our environment. But the vultures are killed daily and sold for traditional medicines. Their population kept declining drastically. Out of the seven species of vultures Nigeria used to have, only Hooded vultures, White-back vultures and the migrating Egyptian vultures can be seen; that's to say, Nigeria can not boast of having more than three species of vultures now as the rest have already extinct from the country.
Nigerian government has to review laws on endangered species adding enforcement terms and stricter punishment for breaking the law. Persecution and killings of vultures need to be stopped. The persisting perpetrators need to be sanctioned and reprimanded if they would not stop the illegal trading.
