A shocking web of illicit trade spanning donkey carcasses, petroleum products, and suspected narcotics has been uncovered in Nigeria’s North-East, as the Nigeria Customs Service announces a sweeping crackdown on smuggling cartels operating across Adamawa and Taraba states.
At a press briefing in Yola on Wednesday, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller MA Tako, revealed how operatives, acting on intelligence, intercepted a bizarre mix of contraband, from raw donkey skins and dried donkey meat to thousands of litres of petrol and controversial “sex enhancement” drugs.
In what officials describe as a “coordinated assault on economic saboteurs,” customs officers stormed multiple smuggling routes over a six-week period, busting syndicates moving prohibited goods through bush paths and border corridors.
One of the hauls came along the Mubi-Sangere axis, where officers intercepted 509 raw donkey skins and 460kg of dried donkey meat, believed to be destined for illegal export markets. Authorities say the trade violates wildlife and export laws, raising fresh concerns about animal exploitation and cross-border trafficking networks.
In a series of midnight raids and highway interceptions, customs seized 32,860 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) and 2,800 litres of diesel, concealed in over 1,200 jerry cans and drums.
The seizures occurred across notorious smuggling routes including Likitaba-Gembu, Mubi-Sahuda, and Toungo-Ganye, areas long suspected to be hotbeds for fuel diversion into neighbouring countries.
Adding another twist, operatives also intercepted cartons and packages of unregistered Viagra 200mg tablets, alongside jumbo sacks of secondhand clothing, suggesting a multi-layered smuggling ring dealing in both pharmaceuticals and banned imports.
Customs pegged the total Duty Paid Value of the seized items at N98,375,325, vowing that perpetrators will face arrest, prosecution, and total forfeiture of goods.
“Smuggling of petroleum products, wildlife, and unregistered medicaments undermines national security and economic stability. There will be zero tolerance,” Tako declared.
He issued a stern warning to smugglers to abandon illegal ventures or face the full weight of the law, as the Service intensifies its anti-smuggling operations.
Authorities say investigations are ongoing to dismantle the syndicates behind the operations, with increased surveillance across border communities.
The customs command also credited inter-agency collaboration and intelligence sharing for the successful busts, signaling more aggressive enforcement in the coming weeks.
