Metro
Customs intercepts dried shark fins, donkey genitals worth N1.23bn in Lagos
The Murtala Muhammed Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted items suspected to be dried shark fins and dried donkey genitals worth N1.22 billion at the Lagos airport.
The command’s Area Controller, Comptroller Muhammed Yusuf, said this in a news conference in Lagos on Thursday.
Yusuf noted that this was through coordinated anti-smuggling activities in synergy with critical stakeholders.
Yusuf while briefing the media on the scorecard of the command from January to July, said one suspect each was apprehended for the seized items and investigation ongoing.
He noted that the suspect intercepted for the shark fins was a Nigerian and the item was heading to China while that of donkey genitals was a Chinese heading to Hong Kong.
According to him, the six packages of suspected dried shark fins has a Free on Board (FOB) value of N221.9 million, while the 25 packages of donkey genitals has an FOB value of N1.01 billion, both totalling N1.23 billion.
“These items were seized mainly because of various forms of infractions on export guidelines and failure to comply with CITES Law on endangered species as enshrined in the Nigeria Customs Service Act.
“From the number of fins we have here, the implication is that we have over a thousand sharks that have been endangered. We cannot go on with this illegal trade because at the end of the day, it will be problem for us.
“Animals in the sea have a role they play, endangering them will affect the ecosystem and for us officers at the NCS, we will always make sure that these items under export prohibition list cannot go out,” he said.
The customs boss noted that this was the first time the command intercepted such and it was nabbed at the exit point after all documentation.
He said that the shark fin was declared as such while that of the donkey genitals was declared as animal cow genitals.
Yusuf added that the items would be handed over to a unit in customs for further investigation and eventually they would unravel more information.
On the scorecard from January to July, Yusuf said the command generated N47.25 billion, representing 83.24 per cent of target met.
“When compared to the same period in 2022 of N40.335 billion, a progressive difference of N6.914 billion, representing 17.14 per cent increase,” he said.
Yusuf appreciated officers and men of the command for their dedication to the service and urged them to always adhere strictly to the rules of engagements while discharging their statutory duties.
He also appreciated the acting Controller General of Customs, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, and his management team for always giving them the leverage to perform.
“I appreciate our critical stakeholders and sister agencies who are showing concern and are collaborating with the service for their continuous support,” he said.
A Student Of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State, has died after being hit by a trailer driver on Monday, April 15.
The Accident was said to have occurred when the driver, who was reportedly driving against traffic, collided with the motorcycle conveying a student named Olanrewaju Olatona and another passenger along the Ikirun-Osogbo road area of the state.
Due to the severe impact, Olanrewaju Olatona, a National Diploma 2 student, suffered fatal injuries. He died at the scene.
Olatona, who was the Financial Secretary of the Department of Mass Communication, was preparing for the one-year Industrial Training programme.
The driver fled the scene after the accident and has not been apprehended.
Subsequently, Osun State Polytechnic students organised a procession in front of the school gate and blocked the expressway for several hours.
Some unknown gunmen have kidnapped Joshua Rogers, the ChannelsTV reporter in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Politics Nigeria learnt that Rogers was picked up close to his residence at Rumuosi in Port Harcourt and to an unknown destination by the gunmen around 9pm on Thursday, April 11.
The reporter was driving his official ChannelsTV branded car when the hoodlums accosted, pointed a gun at him and took him away in the same vehicle.
Rogers was said to be returning from his official assignment in Government House after a trip to Andoni for a government event when the incident happened.
Already, the gunmen were said to have contacted his wife and demanded a N30million ransom for bis release.
His cameraman confirmed the incident and appealed to his abductors to set him free unconditionally.
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