Customs seize ₦3.94bn worth of donkey parts

…hands over seizure to NESREA

By Austine Agbo Emmanuel, Kaduna

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone B, Kaduna, has seized donkey parts valued at over ₦3.94 billion.

The Service made this known while handing over the seizure to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) at a formal handover ceremony, held on Tuesday in Kaduna.

The consignment included 700 bags of donkey bones valued at ₦1.86 billion and 2,500 pieces of donkey skins valued at ₦2.07 billion.

The donkey skins were intercepted on September 18, 2025, while the bones were recovered in a separate operation carried out earlier by FOU operatives.

Speaking the Customs Zone B Comptroller, Aminu Sule strongly condemned the rising illegal trade in donkey parts, describing it as a grave ecological and socioeconomic threat to Nigeria.

He pointed out that donkeys are crucial to rural communities, where they serve as vital means of transportation and livelihood. The indiscriminate slaughter of the animals, he warned, actively undermines sustainable development across the country.

“The Federal Operations Unit Zone B is committed to enforcing environmental laws, protecting endangered species, and ensuring that Nigeria does not become a transit hub for illegal wildlife trade,” Sule asserted. “This seizure is a clear warning to traffickers: FOU Zone B will not relent in the fight against environmental crime.”

He emphasized that the successful operation and subsequent handover to NESREA highlight the strengthening of inter-agency collaboration, which aligns directly with the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi’s Three-Point Agenda of Collaboration, Consolidation, and Innovation.

Comptroller Sule commended the vigilance of his officers and partner agencies, appealing to communities, transporters, and traders to support the Service by promptly reporting any suspicious activities linked to wildlife trafficking.

He reaffirmed the Unit’s determination to safeguard Nigeria’s natural heritage for future generations.