Nigeria Customs Seize 140 Imported Snakes, 660 Other Animals

Nigeria Customs Service on Wednesday intercepted three consignments containing 140 species of snakes and 660 other animals imported into Nigeria from Cameroon.

The containers were brought in aboard a Cameroonian vessel, MV Flesh, through the Calabar waterways to the National Inland Waterways Authority jetty in Calabar, Cross River State.

The other animals which were identified as geckos, millipedes, hairy frogs and spiders, were said to be worth about N6.9m.

The Customs Area Comptroller in charge of Calabar Free Trade Zone – Cross River and Akwa Ibom commands – Mrs. Nanbyen Burromvyat, said the consignments were intercepted by vigilant officers on July 24, 2017.

She said the consignments, which were Lagos-bound, were prohibited items under the Schedule 3 of the Revised Import Prohibition List (Trade) in the Common External Tariff.

A packaging list of the items made available to our newsmen identified the species of snakes to include Atheris squamigera, Bitis gobanica, Dasypeltis ssp and Boiga pulverinata, while the geckos were Hemidactylus frenatus and Hemidactylus fasciatus.

The millipede, hairy frogs and spiders were of the Architreptulus, Trichobatrachus robustus and Arachnidae species respectively.

Without opening the containers to prevent the escape of the animals, Burromvyat  handed over the items and the two suspects arrested to the authorities of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services for further investigation.

Source: ThePunch