The Nigeria Customs Service in Kaduna on Friday said it had seized a truck loaded with donkey meat and 12 sacks of cannabis worth more than N250 million in just a month.
Speaking with newsmen in Kaduna, the Comptroller of Federal Operations Unit, Zone “B” Kaduna, Albashir Hamisu, stated that the items were subtly concealed in 2,348 sacks and 126 parcels with a duty value of N251,701 million paid.
Hamisu disclosed that the service had similar recorded 144 seizures between February 24 and March 23, 2022.
He listed other items seized within the period including 3,700 sachets of tramadol and 460 sachets of D6 tablets.
According to him, an illicit drug called D5, which experts say performs the same function as tramadol, was also seized and handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency officials.
He said the seizures were made in the absence of the NDLEA officials, and because of inter-agency collaboration, the items were handed over to the agency.
“Other items seized include 1,100, 50kg bags of foreign rice, seven units of used vehicles, 128 bales of foreign second-hand clothing; 11 vehicles as means of conveyance of smuggled goods, and 100 pieces of textile materials.
“The service also seized 13 sacks of foreign new shoes, 514 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 18 cartons of milky creamer, and 11 cartons of foreign expired biscuits,” the official added.
The comptroller also listed 65 kegs of foreign vegetable oil, 319 kegs of premium motor spirit, and 336 sacks of foreign snuff (Tobacco) among others.
He said that one suspect had been arrested in connection with the donkey meat smuggling and had since been handed over to the police command in Kaduna for further investigation and prosecution.
Hamisu, however, said the NCS would continue to do its best in sanitising Nigeria, in tandem with the FG’s robust policies set in place for the betterment of its citizens.
He called on patriotic Nigerians to trust and partner with the NCS by giving out reliable information to help in tackling smuggling activities in the area.
In recent times, The PUNCH had reported the occasional smuggling of donkey meat by some unscrupulous elements into the country, which health authorities have repeatedly spelt out as illegal and quite unsafe for consumption due to the associated health risks.
Following similar arrests made sometime in Edo state, The PUNCH had quoted the Assistant Director, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Medical Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Peter Osagie, as saying “donkey meat is not part of the meat legislated for human consumption in Edo State; they (smugglers) do this business under the cover of darkness and secrecy.
“Some of these animals being processed for human consumption have not undergone any form of inspection. Any animal that has not been inspected before being presented for human consumption is considered unsafe,” Osagie had said.
The public has thus been sternly advised to be wary of the kind of meat they consume; be law-abiding, whilst desisting from whatsoever forms of drug-related smuggling.
(NAN)
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