Nigerian authorities have arrested three people after seizing a huge quantity of wild animal parts including pangolin scales and elephant tusks bound for south-east Asia.

The head of Nigeria’s customs department said the record illegal haul, worth more than $54m (£39m) was made in the Lekki area of Lagos.

He said they found 18 tonnes of pangolin scales in addition to nearly a tonne of elephant tusks.

The animal parts are thought to have come from the Central African Republic and were to be trafficked to south-east Asia.

The critically endangered pangolin is one of the most trafficked mammals on earth due to the demand for its scales in traditional Chinese medicine.