Two Residents Sentenced Twenty Years in Prison after being found guilty of possessing two pieces of elephant tusks

Maipac reporter, Babati

maipacarusha20@gmail.com

The Babati District Magistrate Court in Manyara Region has sentenced two residents of Endagire Village to serve twenty years in prison after being found guilty of possessing two pieces of elephant tusks illegally.

The Resident Magistrate, Victor Kimario, sent the two accused behind bars because the government trophies found in their possession could have been obtained through poaching.

The two convicts were named as John Lulu, aged 42 and Zebedayo Safari aged 34, both residents of Endagire Village of Babati, in Manyara Region. 

According to the charge sheet, the two were caught while attampting to smuggle the pieces of ivories from Manyara. 

The duo were arrested on the 23rd of October 2022 at the Burukeli hamlet in Babati District. 

The two pieces of elephant tusks, according to the resident magistrate, Kimario were valued at 35.1 Million. 

It was pointed out in court that, the value of the the two trophies were equivalent to the total worth of an adult elephant. 

Shortly before the judgement was issued, State Attorney, Rusticus Mahundi, assisted by Advocate Abood Komanya in the persecution side, told the court that the two accused had no previous records of criminal offences. 

However, since the issues of wildlife conservation was a sensitive one and the fact that it played an important role in tourism, a sector which greatly contributes to the national economy, the court should issue proper punishment to the offenders in order to serve as a lesson to others with similar motives.

This is a joint effort of  Tanzania Wildilife Authority (TAWA ), Burunge WMA and Chem Chem Association untipoaching initiative