"NAQS Destroys Smuggled Donkey Skins Worth N8.5m in Kebbi"

By Umar Faruk Birnin Kebbi

The Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) has destroyed 180 pieces of smuggled donkey skins valued at N8.5 million in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State capital. The donkey skins were confiscated by the Nigeria Customs Service at the border between Tsamiya, Nigeria, and Sagbana, Benin Republic, on October 25, 2024.

The destruction, which was carried out through burning, was led by the Station Officer, NAQS, Kamba, Muhammad Bashir Abdulrazak, and witnessed by the Kebbi State Comptroller of Customs Service, Chinedu Chikwumerije Nwokorie, representatives of the Police Command, Civil Defence, and the Kebbi Ministry of Animal Health.

According to Abdulrazak, donkey skin is a prohibited item for export, and donkeys are classified as endangered species by the Federal Government. "The rate at which donkeys are slaughtered will soon lead to their extinction," he warned. "Let me make it crystal clear that whether donkeys are slaughtered for meat or export, it is prohibited under Federal Law. Whoever is arrested will be prosecuted and sent to a correctional facility," he added.

The Comptroller of Customs, Nwokorie, said Nigeria was among the signatories to the Convention on Trade of Endangered Species, under which donkeys are classified. "The Nigerian Customs Service will continue to discharge its mandate of enforcing the law and work with sister security agencies and other organizations in all parts of Nigeria to safeguard the wellbeing of the nation," Nwokorie said.

The Toyota Corolla vehicle bearing the illegal consignment was abandoned at the point of confiscation without the arrest of the perpetrators. However, the agencies involved have vowed to continue their efforts to protect endangered species and prevent the illegal trade of prohibited agricultural and animal products.

The Kebbi State Ministry of Animal Health, Husbandry, and Fisheries has also reiterated its commitment to enforcing the law prohibiting the slaughter and export of donkeys. "The government would continue to enforce existing law on the prohibition of slaughtering donkeys for meat or export," said Dr. Faruq Adamu and Aminu Alhassan, two directors from the ministry. "The law would take its course on offenders through arrest and prosecution," they warned.