The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Zone B, has intercepted and seized contraband goods within the North-West and North-Central zones worth over N3 billion.
Among the seized goods include 58, 750 sachets of tramadol and 48,000 ampules of analgin injection being conveyed to bandits at Saminaka Forest in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Speaking to reporters on the seizure, the comptroller of the unit Bello explained that the Customs operatives acting on intelligence, intercepted a truck conveying 750 sacks of donkey bones and meat with a combined duty-paid value of over N3 billion.
The comptroller disclosed that the sachets of tramadol were concealed inside the truck with motor spare parts to evade the Eagle eye of Customs operatives along the Saminaka/Kafanchan axis.
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He noted that the government was concerned that donkeys were rare animal beings driven into extinction by unscrupulous elements while adding that the service wouldn’t fold its arms and allow the illegal trade to thrive.
According to him, the illicit drugs were meant to be conveyed to bloodthirsty terrorists at the Saminaka Forest, Lere Local Government Area of the state before his men intercepted them.
It is therefore with a personal sense of sadness to announce that our officers and men on two separate occasions, impounded consignments of donkey bones and donkey meat, respectively, with a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of about Three Billion Naira”.
“On April 25, 2024, operatives of the Unit acting on credible intelligence intercepted One (1) truck with Registration Number GGE 526 XL along Sokoto/Gusau Road in Zamfara State conveying illicit goods which were brought to Kaduna for further examination.
“Upon careful examination, the truck was discovered to be conveying 750 sacks of donkey bones. The DPV for the donkey bones was estimated at Two Billion, Three Hundred and Sixty Three Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N2, 363,500,000.00) only. It would interest you to know that One (1) suspect was arrested in connection with the seizure.
“Again on May 5, 2024, at about 0310hrs, the operatives of the Unit intercepted Two (2) Canter Trucks carrying Dried Donkey Meat along Kontagora – Tegina Road in Niger State. After 100% physical examination the trucks were found to contain 860 sacks of Dried Donkey meat. Three (3) suspects were also arrested in connection with the seizure.
“Another concern is the seizure of 58,740 sachets of tramadol and 48,000 ampules of Analgine injection that was arrested by the operatives of the Unit on the 2nd of May 2024 at about 1130hrs along Saminaka/Nimbiya/Kafanchan axis of Kaduna State.
“These illicit drugs were neatly concealed with motor spare parts but our eagle eye was able to catch up with them. The DPV of these illicit drugs is One Hundred and Sixty-Seven Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N167,500.00) only.”
Other intercepted items, according to the comptroller, are 12 vehicles (means of conveyance) 174 bags of foreign rice (50 kg each), 234 jerry cans of PMS (25 litres each), 109 bales of second-hand clothing, 367 cartons of Spaghetti, 50 cartons of Macaroni, 47 jerry cans of foreign vegetable oil.
