Agency Report
The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service reported on Saturday that it successfully intercepted 105 wild birds being smuggled through the Seme-Badagry Expressway.
According to Comptroller Timi Bomodi, the Controller of the Command, the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of these birds amounted to a staggering N24,912,928.
Officers of the command discovered the birds while patrolling the Seme-Badagry Expressway, having intercepted two buses. One bus was heading to Nigeria from Togo, while the other was en route to Benin Republic from Katsina on Sept. 27 and Sept. 28, respectively.
The intercepted birds included 60 green parrots, 14 budgerigar parrots, six eastern rosella parrots, two macaw parrots, and one white cockatoo parrot, among others. Unfortunately, about 10 of these birds had already perished due to the trauma of transportation in such conditions.
Two suspects were apprehended in connection with the seizure. Comptroller Bomodi condemned this criminal act, emphasizing that the trade in endangered wildlife contravenes the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international agreement to which Nigeria is a signatory.
He further warned that those engaged in this illicit business would continue to face interception and arrest as long as they persist in using the Lagos-Abidjan corridor for such activities.
In alignment with the principles of promoting inter-agency collaboration and synergy, the seized wild birds have been handed over to the Officials of the National Park Service. Their responsibility is to rehabilitate and protect these birds from further harm.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) previously reported that the command intercepted smuggled African parrots en route to Benin Republic from Kaduna on Sept. 24. These birds, loaded in a luxury bus, had a DPV worth N6.9 million, and two suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures.