Officials of the Nigerian Customs Service
( NCS) have arrested two Chinese nationals at
the Murtala Muhammed International Airport
( MMIA) Lagos for attempting to smuggle 678
pieces of elephant tusks and eight sacks of
pangolin weighing over 381 kilogrammes out
of Nigeria.
Exports of the items are considered a severe
breach of the Nigerian law as they are listed
among endangered species and wild life that
should be protected and whose parts should
never be traded under Schedule 6 of the
Nigerian Exports Prohibition List.
Customs Area Comptroller of the MMIA
Command, Frank Nduka Allannah told
journalists that the two Chinese have been
remanded in the custody of the Nigerian
Customs at the Lagos Airport pending further
investigation.
It was learnt that of the impounded items the
scales of pangolin is viewed as the most
trafficked endangered animal and that it is a
much sought after part used in Chinese
medicine.
According to Allannah, the impounded items
will be handed over to the National
Environmental Standards and Regulations
Enforcement Agency ( NESREA).
Allannah said vigilant Customs officials at the
Export Shed of the Lagos international airport
intercepted the prohibited items while they
were about to be freighted out of Nigeria by
the Chinese.
He said the Elephant tusks were in two
compartments of 387 unprocessed pieces ,
while 271 had been processed into combs
and hand bangles.
“ We do not intend to give the names of the
Chinese nationals yet. They have been
arrested and are in Customs custody. They
will be handed over to the relevant security
agencies,” he said.
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