From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), said it has destroyed 1, 500 pieces of outbound donkey skin estimated at N67 million, adding that the action was taken to tackle illicit exploitation of donkeys in the country and to stimulate sustainable prosperity of donkey skin.
NAQS’ Director of Operations and Assistant Comptroller General of Quarantine, Dr. Sunday Audu, in a statement, by the Head, Media, Communication and Strategy, Chigozie Nwodo, yesterday, explained that the agency impounded the cache of donkey skin during several rounds of raids on hideouts used to store donkey skin ready to be trafficked out of Nigeria.
“The Agency has ramped up its intelligence gathering and surveillance of late because the individuals behind the unabated onslaught on donkeys in Nigeria have escalated their aggression. “The material value of donkey skin is on the rise because it is becoming difficult to source. That has become an incentive for the dealers in this contraband to go all out against live donkeys,” he said.
Audu maintained that government was not, in any way, opposed to trading in donkey skin but that the agency was against the ceaseless exploitation of donkeys without restocking; a practice that, if not checked, would drive the endangered species to extinction.