L
LequteMan
Guest
It's Noah's Ark all over again.
The Nigeria Customs Service on Wednesday seized packages containing animals being imported into the country.
Customs intercepted three consignments containing 140 species of snakes and 660 other animals imported into the country from Cameroon.
A Cameroonian vessel, MV Flesh, ferried the animals through the Calabar waterways to the National Inland Waterways Authority jetty in Calabar, Cross River State.
The other animals in the packages were geckos, millipedes, hairy frogs and spiders. All 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:
“There is no permit to bring live animals into the country. We have seized and we are handing the animals over to the Nigerian Quarantine Services for further action.
“I do not know what they want to do with them, but I think that the animals are dangerous because they include snakes, spiders, geckos and other creatures. We have enough snakes around Nigeria already.”
The Captain of the vessel, Victor Agbor, said he did not spot the containers when he was about leaving his country.
“I did not see these containers on the vessel when I left Cameroon. The name of my vessel is MV Flesh and we bring in passengers and general cargo from Cameroon to Nigeria.
“I never saw these containers on board before leaving.
“I was informed in Nigeria that there were some containers without manifestoes in the vessel. I do not have any idea about them,” he said.
The Nigeria Customs Service on Wednesday seized packages containing animals being imported into the country.
Customs intercepted three consignments containing 140 species of snakes and 660 other animals imported into the country from Cameroon.
A Cameroonian vessel, MV Flesh, ferried the animals through the Calabar waterways to the National Inland Waterways Authority jetty in Calabar, Cross River State.
The other animals in the packages were geckos, millipedes, hairy frogs and spiders. All 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:
“There is no permit to bring live animals into the country. We have seized and we are handing the animals over to the Nigerian Quarantine Services for further action.
“I do not know what they want to do with them, but I think that the animals are dangerous because they include snakes, spiders, geckos and other creatures. We have enough snakes around Nigeria already.”
The Captain of the vessel, Victor Agbor, said he did not spot the containers when he was about leaving his country.
“I did not see these containers on the vessel when I left Cameroon. The name of my vessel is MV Flesh and we bring in passengers and general cargo from Cameroon to Nigeria.
“I never saw these containers on board before leaving.
“I was informed in Nigeria that there were some containers without manifestoes in the vessel. I do not have any idea about them,” he said.
