Nigeria: Seme Customs Intercepts Elephant Tusks

John Iwori, This Day

23 September 2011

Men and officials of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Border Command, have intercepted 9 elephant tusks about to be smuggled out of the country. The tusks were intercepted during operations within the border area.

A man from Republic of Chad, who was suspected to be behind the smuggling of the elephant tusks, was also arrested at the border.

Customs Area Controller (CAC), NCS, Seme Border Command, Comptroller Sadiq Sahabi, who disclosed this in a chat, stated that his officers impounded the items while on border patrol.

According to him, the smuggling of elephant tusks is international crime, because the international value on of such items. "It means the elephants must have been killed before removing the tusks. So, aside from the fact that, such item is prohibited, it is also international crime, which is condemned all over the world", he said.

He said that the value of the items was more that 100 seizures, saying that the command would hand over the items to appropriate government's agency handling such cases in the country.

"The suspect was arrested through vital information provided by the driver of the vehicle used as a means of carriage. Our officers arrested the driver first and subsequently arrested the smuggler through the information provided by the driver.

The preliminarily investigation is on to determine the value of the items, but full investigation into the issue would be done when we hand over the items to the agency in charge of such matter.

"The suspect would be arraigned in court after full investigations into the matter. A similar arrest of elephant tusks was made at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. We are warning people to desist from smuggling such items as they remain prohibited goods until the Federal Government decides otherwise", he said.

He enjoined Nigerians, especially those who had taken smuggling as a way of life, to desist from it as the Customs High Command has mobilised Customs formations across the country to ensure that they are not only arrested but prosecuted in the court, besides the seizure of their goods.

According to the Customs chief, men and officers of the command have been motivated to perform their statutory roles and responsibilities satisfactorily.

He attributed the achievements so far recorded by his administration to the management of NCS, especially the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Inde Dikko Abdullahi, for his motivation and support for men and officials of the command.