Massive Crackdown on Illegal Wildlife Trade
By Husna Kaduna
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone B, Kaduna, has handed over a staggering consignment of donkey bones and skins valued at ₦3.94 billion to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
The handover, which took place on Tuesday in Kaduna, was presided over by Comptroller Aminu Sule, who formally presented the seized items to NESREA State Coordinator, Mr. Hene Emmanuel.
The confiscated items include 700 bags of donkey bones worth ₦1.86 billion and 2,500 pieces of donkey skins valued at ₦2.07 billion, all intercepted in separate operations by operatives of the Customs Unit.
Comptroller Sule condemned the illegal trade, stressing that donkey poaching poses grave ecological and socio-economic dangers.
“Donkeys are essential to rural communities as a source of livelihood and transport. Their indiscriminate slaughter threatens sustainable development,” he warned.
He vowed that the NCS would not allow Nigeria to become a hub for wildlife crimes, adding that the seizure reflects the agency’s commitment to environmental protection.
“This seizure is a clear warning to traffickers: FOU Zone B will not relent in the fight against environmental crime,” he declared.
The Customs boss noted that the breakthrough was achieved through inter-agency cooperation, aligning with Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi’s Three-Point Agenda of Collaboration, Consolidation, and Innovation.
NESREA’s State Coordinator, Mr. Hene Emmanuel, praised the Customs Service for its vigilance, assuring that the agency would ensure proper environmental compliance and protection of endangered species.
Experts warn that the rising illegal trade in donkey parts, particularly skins and bones, is fueled by growing demand in parts of Asia—posing a new threat to biodiversity and rural livelihoods in Nigeria. Follow www.krestnews.com for more reports and updates.