The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a container carrying over 10,000 donkey genitals, dealing what authorities describe as a major blow to a transnational wildlife trafficking network.
The discovery was made on 5 June 2025 at around 9:00pm along the Kaduna–Abuja Highway, following a targeted surveillance operation conducted by officers from the Special Wildlife Office (SWO) and the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU).
The seizure was disclosed during a press briefing held on Thursday at the government warehouse in Karu, Abuja.
Assistant Comptroller of Customs and National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, released the details on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
Maiwada noted that the interception was part of the Service’s broader campaign against illegal wildlife trafficking.
The operation was led by the Customs Special Wildlife Office, which was established to tackle the illegal trade of endangered species, and was based on credible intelligence.
Comptroller-General Adeniyi confirmed that the seizure resulted from coordinated efforts involving both domestic and international partners. He described the operation as evidence of the persistent exploitation of Nigerian transit routes by organised wildlife smuggling syndicates.
He also stated that the confiscated items would be handed over to the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), in accordance with established procedures and the Customs Service’s commitment to inter-agency cooperation and environmental protection.
Adeniyi emphasised that illegal wildlife trafficking is not only an ecological crisis but also closely linked to organised crime, including money laundering, arms smuggling, and illicit financial flows.
He said the Customs Service is intensifying its efforts through enhanced digital surveillance, species identification technologies, and forensic tools to dismantle trafficking networks.
Investigations now increasingly involve phone analysis and digital forensics, strengthening the body of evidence and supporting ongoing prosecutions.
In highlighting the impact of the Customs Service’s recent operations, Adeniyi referred to multiple seizures made over the past year. These include the confiscation of six African Grey Parrots in Kano in December 2024, the rescue of live pangolins, monkeys, and parrots at Lagos Airport in May 2025, and the arrest of a suspect in Cross River State in connection with a cache of parrot, eagle, and hornbill heads.
Additional operations include the rescue of tortoises in Oyo State, the interception of a container with 119.4 kilogrammes of pangolin scales in Calabar, and the rescue of 120 African Grey Parrots along with a suspect’s arrest in Fufore, Adamawa State.
Assistant Comptroller Anuhu Mani, Head of the Customs Wildlife Office, also addressed the briefing and attributed the success of these efforts to strategic collaborations with conservation organisations such as Focused Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society, Wild Power Trust, Green Fingers, and Padrilas, as well as law enforcement agencies in neighbouring countries.
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