In line with its commitment to inter-agency collaboration and statutory mandates, the Nigeria Customs Service, through its Special Wildlife Office, has handed over to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) a 40-foot container of 10,603 donkey genitals seized recently along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway.
At the official handing over in Abuja, the Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, ably represented by the National NCS Spokesperson, Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada revealed that the seizure is not an isolated incident. He said on Friday, 5th June 2025, at approximately 2100 hours, operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service acting on credible intelligence intercepted a 1x40ft container loaded with donkey genitals along the Kaduna–Abuja Expressway.
He noted that the interception was carried out under coordinated surveillance by officers of the SWO and CIU, further confirming the persistence of illegal wildlife trafficking networks in exploiting Nigeria’s corridors.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Adeniyi, noted that over the past 12 months, the Special Wildlife Office has uncovered and disrupted multiple illicit wildlife trafficking operations across the country. Noteworthy among these include the recovery of six African Grey Parrots and the arrest of one suspect on 10 December 2024 at Kano, the interception of two live pangolins, five Mona monkeys, two Tantalus monkeys, one baby baboon and an African Grey Parrot at Lagos Airport in May 2025.
"In another separate operation, there was an arrest of one suspect in Ikom area of Cross River State linked to seizures of 213 parrot heads, six eagle heads, 128 hornbill heads, and other exotic species. On 13 January 2025, the Service handed over rescued tortoises to the National Park Service in Oyo State.
"Several seizures involving taxidermy specimens, such as life-sized lions, zebra hides, gorilla parts, and pangolin scales, have been recorded in various ports and logistics routes nationwide. One such case involved 119.4kg of pangolin scales found in a container concealed in sacks around the Calabar area of Cross River State. In another development, 120 African Grey Parrots were rescued, and one suspect was arrested in the Fufore area of Adamawa State.
The Customs Boss stressed that these figures underscore the scale, sophistication, and profitability of the illegal wildlife trade.
He said the Nigeria Customs Service considers this an issue of national importance, not only from an ecological standpoint but also because wildlife trafficking is increasingly linked with other forms of organised crimes, including money laundering, arms smuggling, and illicit currency flows.
"Our Wildlife Office’s investigations, including digital forensics and phone analysis of suspects, have strengthened our evidence base, with several prosecutions currently underway," he said
The Nigeria Customs Service, therefore, assured Nigerians and the international community that it is resolute in enforcing the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, CITES, and other national environmental laws.
The Customs also urged the public, especially those in border communities and logistics hubs, to report suspicious movements of wildlife products. The fight against wildlife crime requires sustained collaboration, vigilance, and an unyielding commitment to justice.
Addressing the media, from the Special Wildlife Office (SWO), the Assistant Comptroller of Customs Anuhu Sumaila Mani said with dedication, strategic partnerships, and unwavering commitment, Nigeria Customs Service Special Wildlife Office have made significant headway in this vital fight between December 2024 and June 2025, intercepted 6087.9 kg of Pangolin scales, 4.15kg of worked Ivory, 157 Live African Grey Parrots, 20 green Parrots, live Senegal Parrots, 2 Budgies, 6 live Monkeys, 4 live Pangolins, 3022 donkey skins, 37 Taxidermies, 16 Zebra Skins, and 10,603 Male Donkey Genitals
He said the unit has also apprehended more than 10 suspects involved in wildlife trafficking networks, out of this we already have 1 conviction while the other cases are ongoing. These actions have disrupted entire supply chains, reducing the availability of wildlife products on the black market.
He added that their efforts have been bolstered through strategic partnerships with the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria Police Force, NESREA, National Parks Service, WCO(ICCWC), INTERPOL, UNODC and our partner NGO’s (Focused Conservation, World Wildlife Conservation Society, World Parrot trust Greenfingers and Pandrillus) as well as neighbouring countries' enforcement agencies.
Receiving the seized 10,603 donkey genital on behalf of NESREA, the Director General, Prof. Innocent Barikor, commended the Nigeria Customs for its unwavering commitment to the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking.
He noted that such seizures are critical to protecting Nigeria’s biodiversity and upholding its international obligations under CITES.
He reiterated NESREA’s readiness to continue working closely with Customs and other enforcement agencies to dismantle wildlife trafficking networks and ensure that offenders face the full weight of the law.
In recent years, the Nigeria Customs Service has scaled up its anti-smuggling trafficking anti-wildlife trafficking specifically, operations through the establishment of the Special Wildlife Office (SWO, domiciled within the Customs Intelligence Unit. This specialised operation is saddled with intelligence gathering, profiling, investigation, and coordinated enforcement targeting transnational criminal networks that profit from the exploitation of endangered wildlife species.