Operatives of the Comptroller General of Customs Strike Force, Zone A, intercepted a consignment of poisonous donkey hides and skin, charcoal and wood valued at N643.73 billion set for exportation in Lagos.
All the items seized had been warehoused in Apapa and were set to be moved into the port for export when it was intercepted.
The seized items were displayed at the Nigeria Customs export terminal in Ikorodu, the Controller of the strike force, Zone A, Ahmadu Shuaibu, stated that the seized items were found stacked in a warehouse situated close to the Apapa port and that the suspects absconded on sighting the customs team.
Shuaibu noted that the items were close to getting exported, but for the concerted and deliberate efforts of officers and men of the unit.
He added that that effort was ongoing to apprehend the culprits responsible for the stockpiling of the seized items.
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He said the export prohibition guideline is in tandem with the Federal Government’s policies for the protection of endangered species, protection of the local economy and to promote the National Forest Policy that was approved by the Federal Executive Council, which according to him, is aimed at greatly assisting the nation’s sustainable management of it’s vast forest resources against deforestation.
“In the course of duty, the following goods were seized. 1,372 bags of foreign parboiled rice (25kg each(, 5×20ft containers of unprocessed logs of woods, 2×40ft (12,500 prices) containers of donkey hides and skin, 6×40ft and 1×20ft (3,891 sacks) containers of charcoal, 229 sacks of shoes, 167 pieces of used tyres and one unit of Mazda bus, with a commutative duty paid value of N643,727,837.
“For the period of the time the Co-ordinator took over the mantle of leadership of the team, the sum of N3,001,226,794 was collected as revenue through issuance of Demand Notices. This feat was achieved through meticulous documentary checks of the ICT Component,” he said.
