The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘D’ Bauchi, has seized 718 pieces of donkey skins with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N24 million in Mubi, Adamawa State.
The Comptroller of Customs in charge of the unit, Abdullahi Ka’ila, disclosed this during a news conference on Tuesday in Bauchi.
Ka’ila said the seizure was made on December 26 after Customs operatives intercepted a vehicle conveying the prohibited items based on credible intelligence and coordinated enforcement efforts.
According to him, the driver of the vehicle and the owner of the consignment were arrested for their alleged involvement in the illegal trade.
The comptroller explained that the trade and exportation of donkey skins are prohibited under Nigerian laws and regulations enforced by relevant agencies, including the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS).
He added that the seizure was also in line with Nigeria’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which seeks to protect endangered species from extinction through international trade.
Ka’ila said investigations were ongoing and that the suspects would be prosecuted in accordance with the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, and other applicable environmental laws.
He noted that the operation aligned with the zero-tolerance stance of the service against smuggling, as directed by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
Reiterating the service’s commitment to anti-smuggling operations, Ka’ila warned that illegal wildlife trade poses a serious threat to biodiversity, undermines rural livelihoods and amounts to 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.
FOU Zone ‘D’ covers Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Benue, Gombe, Taraba, Plateau, Nasarawa and Yobe states.