Customs Seizes Goods Worth Over N1bn in Calabar, Including Pangolin Scales and Wildlife Parts

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Calabar has reported the interception of goods with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) exceeding N1,041,038,508 between March, June, and July.

Mr. Chukwudi Ogbonna, Area Comptroller for Cross River/Calabar Free Trade Zone/Akwa Ibom Command, revealed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.

However, he lamented the loss of significant revenue due to the non-dredging of the Calabar river channel and the poor condition of the Calabar-Itu highway.

Listing the seized items, Ogbonna said they included 6,100 liters of Premium Motor Spirit, four bags of pangolin scales, various medicaments, and narcotics. He disclosed that the pangolin scales alone carried a DPV of over N637 million.

The comptroller added that wildlife parts were also seized during the period, including 213 parrot heads.

According to him: “On Wednesday, 12th March, during routine baggage inspections at the Mfun/Ekok Joint Border Station, my officers intercepted a traveller entering Nigeria from Cameroon. The individual was found in possession of 213 parrot heads, 29 packs of parrot feathers, 128 heads of African hornbill, and five eagle heads. Other items included one pack of eagle feathers, two heads, four hands, and four legs of chimpanzee.”

Ogbonna stressed that the seizure violated international conventions such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), to which Nigeria is a signatory. He noted that Section 55 of the NCS Act 2023 also prohibits the import, export, or transit of endangered species without permits.

He explained that illegal wildlife trade not only threatens Nigeria’s biodiversity but also fuels crime, undermines economic stability, and endangers public safety.

The comptroller confirmed that four suspects arrested in connection with the seizures are already facing trial in court.

Ogbonna commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, for providing leadership and institutional support, while also appreciating his officers and stakeholders for their resilience and commitment.

He assured that the command remains determined to combat smuggling and enforce customs laws in full.

Meanwhile, he decried the command’s dwindling revenue, attributing it to the shallow Calabar river channel and the deplorable Calabar-Itu highway.

“The Calabar Port would have been receiving between 50 to 100 vessels monthly, but non-dredging of the river channel has restricted it to about two to three vessels monthly. What I am saying is that the depth of the channel is shallow, and that prevents lots of vessels from coming in. Again, the state of the Calabar-Itu road has also not helped matters; it takes three to five days for a container to get to Calabar Port from Onne because of the bad road,” Ogbonna said.