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By Steve Agbota
Five days after intercepting 62 African parrots and a hawk being smuggled out of Nigeria through the Seme border, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized another set of 105 wild birds amid attempts to import and export the endangered species through the Seme-Krake border.
The Customs Area Controller, Seme Border Command, Comptroller Timi Bomodi, who revealed this at a press briefing, condemned the criminal activity by some Nigerian citizens.
He said the species of birds were; 60 Green parrots, 14 Budgerigar parrots, six Eastern Rosella parrots, two Macaw parrots, one white cockatoo parrot, four Rose Ringed Parakeets parrots, one Maidan Dock Bird, three Love birds, and four other birds were discovered.
However, he revealed that 10 of the birds died due to the trauma of transporting them under an unpalatable condition.
While reiterating that trade in endangered wildlife contravenes the Convention on International Trade On Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is an international agreement between governments of which Nigeria was a signatory, he said the birds have a duty paid value (DPV) of N24.912 million.
“On September 27 and 28, at about 2100hrs and 1200hrs, respectively, officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, while on patrol along Seme – Badagry Expressway, intercepted a public transport bus en route Togo to Nigeria, and another bus from Katsina to Benin Republic.
“The examination of these buses revealed 105 birds, including 10, which died due to the trauma of transporting them in this condition. Two suspects were also arrested in connection with the seizure,” he explained.
The comptroller maintained that the perpetrators of the illegal trade will continue to meet their waterloo as long as they refuse to stay off of the Lagos – Abidjan corridor.
As part of inter-agency collaboration and synergy, the seized parrots and other birds were handed over to the officials of the National Park Service (NPS) with the Conservator of Parks, NPS Okumu, Mr. Osaze Lawrence, receiving the birds for the agency.
Speaking on behalf of NPS, Osaze thanked the leadership of Customs and praised the officials at Seme Border, who carried out the seizures, stressing that they have helped preserve the nation’s future.
“We are going to do our best to rehabilitate these birds. We have the equipment and skilled officials for this role. It is our responsibility to rehabilitate and protect them from further harm.
“For those birds which were captured from the Nigerian environment, we are going to release them back to the original habitat they came from. Meanwhile, we will do thorough investigation on the imported birds and send them back to the respective nations,” Osaze said.
