The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted and handed over donkey parts worth N3.94 billion to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency in Kaduna State, in a move aimed at curbing wildlife trafficking.
The seizure, announced on Friday through Customs’ official X handle, was carried out by the Federal Operations Unit Zone B, Kaduna, during coordinated anti-smuggling operations. Officials confirmed that the consignment included 700 bags of donkey bones valued at N1.86 billion and 2,500 pieces of dried donkey skins valued at N2.07 billion.
According to Customs, the intercepted items were being prepared for illegal export, breaching national laws and international agreements such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
At the handover ceremony on Tuesday, Comptroller Aminu Sule, Area Controller of FOU Zone B, formally presented the seized items to Hene Emmanuel, NESREA’s State Coordinator. Sule underscored the wider implications of the trade, stressing, “Donkeys are essential to rural communities as a source of livelihood and transport. Their indiscriminate slaughter threatens sustainable development. This seizure is a clear warning to traffickers: FOU Zone B will not relent in the fight against environmental crime.”
In response, Emmanuel confirmed receipt of the contraband and pledged that the agency would pursue prosecution of suspects linked to the seizures. He explained that firm action was needed to address the growing demand driving the depletion of Nigeria’s donkey population.
The event was attended by representatives from security and regulatory agencies, sealing the transfer of the seized materials to NESREA for further legal and environmental action.
