Customs seize N1bn worth of contraband in three months, raise alarm over wildlife smuggling, Calabar Port decline

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Cross River/Calabar Free Trade Zone/Akwa Ibom Area Command, has announced the seizure of goods with a duty paid value (DPV) exceeding N1.04 billion between March, June, and July 2025.

Comptroller Chukwudi Ogbonna, who disclosed this in Calabar on Thursday, said the seizures highlight both the scale of smuggling activities and the urgent need to address infrastructure challenges stifling trade in the region.

Among the intercepted goods were 6,100 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), narcotics, medicaments, and four bags of pangolin scales, which alone carried a DPV of over N637 million.

Ogbonna further revealed the disturbing discovery of illegal wildlife products, including 213 parrot heads, 29 packs of parrot feathers, 128 African hornbill heads, five eagle heads, one pack of eagle feathers, as well as chimpanzee body parts.

According to him, the seizure was made during a routine baggage inspection on March 12 at the Mfun/Ekok Joint Border Station, when officers stopped a traveller entering Nigeria from Cameroon.

“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. Others items included one pack of eagle feathers, two heads, four hands, and four legs of chimpanzee,”* he said.

The comptroller stressed that the seizure constituted a serious breach of international treaties.

“The seizure underscores a violation of international laws including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which Nigeria is a signatory to. Section 55 of the NCS Act 2023 prohibits the import/export/transit of endangered species without permits.”

Ogbonna warned that illegal wildlife trade is more than an environmental issue—it fuels criminal networks and threatens national stability.

“Illegal wildlife trade not only undermined Nigeria’s biodiversity but also fuelled crime, economic stability, and public safety,” he noted.

Four suspects connected to the seizures have already been arraigned in court.

While commending the leadership of Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adeniyi, as well as his officers and stakeholders for their resilience, Ogbonna reiterated his commitment to aggressively combating smuggling in all forms.

However, the comptroller also lamented dwindling revenues at the Calabar Port, blaming it on years of neglected dredging of the Calabar river channel and the deplorable state of the 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.”

With seizures worth over a billion naira in just three months, the command insists it will continue tightening its border operations, even as it urges the government to urgently address the infrastructural bottlenecks that weaken legitimate trade in the region.