Customs officials at Nigeria's Lagos international airport said they had seized more than 1,600 parrots and canaries that were being transported to Kuwait without a permit, in one of the biggest such seizures in years.

The cargo of live birds, which included ring-necked parakeets and yellow-fronted canaries, was intercepted by customs officials at the airport on July 31, the agency said in a statement late on Monday.

Nigeria, which has become a transit hub for trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products, is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Parrots, songbirds and birds of prey are among the most trafficked birds for the exotic pet trade, private collections and for feathers or trophies, according to the United Nations 2024 World Wildlife Report.

Michael Awe, a customs controller at Lagos airport, said the birds were not accompanied by a CITES permit and other documents required to prove they were legally obtained.

"No illegal shipment will slip through the cracks under my watch at the airport, because the eagle eyes of my command officers are everywhere to detect and intercept," he said in the statement.

Awe said customs were investigating those responsible for the illicit cargo, adding that the birds would be handed over to the National Parks Service.