Poultry imports destroyed by Nigerian customs

The Nigeria Customs Services have destroyed 19,750 cartons of poultry products valued at N98.6 million (€450,000) in its resolve to reduce the incidence of smuggling and increase its revenue profile.

The Deputy Controller of the area command, Usman Mohammed Bumba, who represented the Customs Area Controller, said that the frozen poultry products were intercepted along old Abeokuta-Bakatari road through intelligence gathering, the Nigerian Tribune reports.

Bumba revealed that the cartons of turkey were loaded on 530 50x50x5m steel rods and 36 8mmx5x2mls steel plates at the back of the trailer, adding that bags of sawdust were used to conceal the products on all the four sides of the truck so as to draw attention away from the banned products.

“Smugglers are hindering the growth of national economy and frustrating the efforts of local farmers,” Bumba said. He appealed to the local people to resist from buying and eating frozen poultry products because of the hazards they pose to health.