3 consignments containing 140 species of snakes and 660 other animals imported into Nigeria from Cameroon, was intercepted on Wednesday by Nigeria’s Customs Service.
The other animals which includes geckos, millipedes, hairy frogs and spiders said to be worth about N6.9m, 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 Customs Area Comptroller in charge of Calabar Free Trade Zone, 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.
She said: “These containers have animals of different sizes. They were brought in on July 24, 2017, through this Calabar waterway. The consignment was spotted by our vigilant officers and they contain live animals.
“There is no provision for permit to bring them in. We are seizing them and handing the containers over to the Nigerian Quarantine Services for further necessary action.
“I do not know what they want to do with it, but I think it will be dangerous for us because it contains snake, spiders, geckos and other creatures. We have enough snakes around Nigeria already and it will be suspicious importing this. I do not know what to think because I do not know what they can be used for.”
