The Nigerian Customs Service has seized 718 pieces of donkey skin with a duty-paid value of over N24 million in Mubi, Adamawa.
The comptroller of customs, Abdullahi Ka’ila, said this at a news conference on Tuesday in Bauchi.
Mr Ka’ila said personnel of the service intercepted a vehicle conveying the prohibited items on December 26, following credible intelligence and coordinated enforcement efforts.
He said the service detained the driver and the owner of the goods for an illegal consignment.
Mr Ka’ila said trade and export of donkey skins were prohibited under Nigerian laws and the relevant regulatory agencies, including the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service.
He said the seizure also ensured Nigeria’s compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which aims to protect endangered animals from extinction through international trade.
The comptroller said the investigation was ongoing and the suspects would be prosecuted in accordance with the NCS Act 2023 and other extant environmental laws.
The action, he said, was in line with the zero-tolerance stance of the service against smuggling, as directed by the comptroller general of customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
Mr Ka’ila reiterated his commitment to anti-smuggling exercises, warning that illegal wildlife trade threatens biodiversity, undermines rural livelihoods, and constitutes economic sabotage.
“The Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘D’ remains resolute in enforcing trade and conservation laws. Nigeria will not be used as a corridor for wildlife crimes,” he said.
(NAN)