The Federal Operations Unit, Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Monday evacuated 329 sacks of Pangolin Scales weighing 8,492kg with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of One Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirty Two Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty Seven Thousand, Three Hundred And Ninety Three Naira, Ninety Six Kobo (N1,732,857,393.96).
It will be recalled that the Unit had in the month of February evacuated 55 sacks of the same Pangolin and 218 pieces of elephant tusks which were all handed over to the Nigeria Environmental Standard and Regulatory Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
The Customs Area Controller of the Unit, Comptroller Uba Garba Mohammed who disclosed this in a press briefing in Lagos said that the Warehouse Operations Team led by Assistant Comptroller Mutalib Sule while on credible intelligence searched an apartment at No. 64 Opebi Road, Off Toyin Street, Ikeja Lagos at about 1600hrs where they evacuated the items.
Mohammed further revealed that Mr. Li Chaomin, a Chinese national was apprehended in connection with the seizure, making it two Chinese Nationals to be so apprehended in connection with the goods banned for export.
According to him,” For the avoidance of doubt, our action is in-line with the provisions of sections 147 of Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap 45, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 (power to search premises)”.
He however pointed out that the seized items and the suspect would be handed over to Nigeria Environmental Standards and Regulatory Enforcement Agency (NESREA) for further investigation.
He therefore appreciated the determination and resilience of the officers who he said had put their lives on the line while performing their statutory responsibilities most especially in anti-smuggling operations, which according to him was yielding positive result.
“We will continue to motivate them and provide needed operational logistics that will help them perform their job better so as to sustain the tempo”, he added.
The Convention of International Trade in Endangered species (CITES 1973) entails that Customs Administration all over the world protects wild life by intercepting illegal trade on such animals. Pangolins are the only known mammals that have large and protective keratin scales covering their skin. After a surge in poaching across Asia, the international illegal wildlife trade is now also a growing threat to African pangolin species. These scales were sourced from other African countries to be trafficked.
The tragedy of the unsustainable demand for their body parts in the illegal wildlife trade, the better chance they have from being saved from extinction. It was based on that the World Pangolin Day was set side globally to talk about pangolins and to help spread awareness about one of the world’s most vulnerable but least-known species. This year’s Pangolin Day was held February 17 to that effect.
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