According to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) a new anti-smuggling campaign at the coastal border point of Seme, dubbed Operation Hawk Descend, has resulted in the seizure of illegal frozen chicken and turkey worth millions of Nigerian naira.
In the five weeks since the campaign began, poultry worth N45,470,441 (US$28,000) had been recovered, said NCS public relations officer Wale Adeniyi.
Smugglers
In a press release, the head of customs Dikko Inde Abdullahi said smugglers of poultry products were now exploring routes in the northern and eastern parts of the country, as the operation had made life difficult for them in the south-western flank.
In a statement issued at the weekend, the director general of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, Onallo Akpa, expressed appreciation for the operation.
“The leadership of the Poultry Association appreciates the excellent performance through various acts of onslaught, arrests and confiscation of smuggled poultry products into the country,” he said. “This is very unprecedented, as we can boldly say that Operation Hawk Descend is a highly successful exercise.”