Customs impounds 13 trucks of Smuggled Frozen Chicken

The Nigeria Customs Service last weekend destroyed several carton of frozen poultry products that were intercepted at different points within the Cross River and Akwa Ibom States area command.

The Nigeria Customs Service last weekend destroyed several carton of frozen poultry products that were intercepted at different points within the Cross River and Akwa Ibom States area command.
NAN reports that Controller of  the command, Alhaji Hassan Mohammed Mundu disclosed this conducting reporters round the dump site at Lemna Road Ikot Effanga, Calabar in Cross Rivers state disclosed that   said a combined team of (NAFDAC), State Security Services, and Officials of the Cross River State Ministry of Health, Environment and representative of the Nigerian Police Force carried out the operation that led to the seizure of the products in line with their mandate.who disclosed this  while destroying some of the containers of the frozen chicken at the weekend said that the seized product worth over N200 million.
He said since March last year more than 13 trucks of poultry products had been impounded by his command and attributed the delay in destroying the products to rigorous investigations carried out by his Command to ensure that genuine cases are established before the destruction was carried out.
He said, “What you are witnessing here today are part of the containers that have been detained by the Cross River and Akwa-Ibom state Command of the Nigerian Customs on suspicion that they are carrying Turkey and Chicken which are prohibited goods.”
According to him, his Command decided to carry out the destruction following series of complains from the health division of the Nigerian Port Authority, NPA, over the hazardous nature of the products to public health within the immediate community and it’s environ.
“I sought permission of the Comptroller General of Customs to allow me have them disposed of and it was graciously granted that is why we are here with other stakeholders in carrying out this exercise today,” he said.
The Custom boss said that investigations were on-going to bring the owners of the poultry products to book stressing it was among the prohibited products in the country that was why the Customs were taking steps to impound them and have them destroyed.
He said, “Normally, when these things are impounded, we tend to investigate because the owner will say he is carrying fish, as you can see, they are actually poultry products and are in a very bad state and they have to be destroyed immediately.”