The Nigeria Customs Service has made a significant seizure of illegal wildlife products, intercepting a 40-foot container loaded with donkey genitals.
Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi disclosed the operation during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
The interception occurred on June 5, 2025, at approximately 9:00 PM along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway following credible intelligence.
Represented by Customs National PRO Abdullahi Maiwada, Adeniyi explained that officers from the Special Wildlife Office and Customs Intelligence Unit conducted the operation.
“Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted a 1x40ft container loaded with donkey genitals along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway,” Adeniyi stated. “The interception confirms the persistence of illegal wildlife trafficking networks exploiting Nigeria’s corridors.”
After proper documentation, the seized items were handed over to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency in line with inter-agency cooperation protocols.
The Customs boss emphasized this was not an isolated incident, detailing multiple wildlife trafficking cases disrupted over the past year. These include the December 2024 recovery of six African Grey Parrots and arrest of one suspect in Kano, and the May 2025 interception at Lagos Airport of two live pangolins, five Mona monkeys, two Tantalus monkeys, one baby baboon, and an African Grey Parrot.
Other notable cases include the January 2025 handover of rescued tortoises to the National Park Service in Oyo State, the arrest of a suspect in Cross River’s Ikom area with 213 parrot heads and other exotic species, and the seizure of 119.4 kg of pangolin scales concealed in sacks in Calabar. In Adamawa State, 120 African Grey Parrots were rescued with one suspect arrested in Fufore.
The NCS also recorded several seizures of taxidermy specimens including life-sized lions, zebra hides, gorilla parts and pangolin scales across various ports and logistics routes nationwide. Adeniyi reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to combating wildlife trafficking through strengthened inter-agency collaboration and warned perpetrators of severe consequences.
