Ouagadougou – A court in Burkina Faso slapped prison sentences on two locals and a Nigerian woman arrested last month with 71 vultures and three vulture heads to be used in voodoo rites, an official said on Thursday.

The two Burkinabe men, aged 33 and 22, and the sexagenarian Nigerian woman, were sentenced on Wednesday to jail terms ranging from three to 18 months, the head of legal affairs at the environment ministry, Antoine Kabore, said.

“These sentences should serve as an example to all those who target the protected species of our country,” Kabore told reporters.

The Nigerian woman, long-time Burkina resident Olutayo Kuduratou, was reportedly planning to smuggle them back to her native country where they are used for fetishes and voodoo rites.

- SAPA

Related articles

• Namibia’s Nations Cup protest is rejected (indepthafrica.com)
• On Thomas Sankara’s birthday (indepthafrica.com)