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Customs Intercepts Dried Shark Fins, Donkey Genitals Worth N1.23bn In Lagos

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The Murtala Muhammed Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted items suspected to be dried shark fins and dried donkey genitals worth N1.22 billion at the Lagos airport.

The command’s Area Controller, Comptroller Muhammed Yusuf, said this in a news conference in Lagos on Thursday.

Yusuf noted that this was through coordinated anti-smuggling activities in synergy with critical stakeholders.

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Yusuf while briefing the media on the scorecard of the command from January to July, said one suspect each was apprehended for the seized items and the investigation is ongoing.

READ ALSO: Ban On Vehicle Importation Through Seme Border Still In Force – Customs

He noted that the suspect intercepted for the shark fins was a Nigerian and the item was heading to China while that of donkey genitals was a Chinese heading to Hong Kong.

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According to him, the six packages of suspected dried shark fins have a Free on Board (FOB) value of N221.9 million, while the 25 packages of donkey genitals has an FOB value of N1.01 billion, both totalling N1.23 billion.

“These items were seized mainly because of various forms of infractions on export guidelines and failure to comply with CITES Law on endangered species as enshrined in the Nigeria Customs Service Act.

“From the number of fins we have here, the implication is that we have over a thousand sharks that have been endangered. We cannot go on with this illegal trade because at the end of the day, it will be problem for us.

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“Animals in the sea have a role they play, endangering them will affect the ecosystem and for us officers at the NCS, we will always make sure that these items under export prohibition list cannot go out,” he said.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Tinubu Appoints New Service Chiefs, IGP, Customs CG, Others

The customs boss noted that this was the first time the command intercepted such and it was nabbed at the exit point after all documentation.

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He said that the shark fin was declared as such while that of the donkey genitals was declared as animal cow genitals.

Yusuf added that the items would be handed over to a unit in customs for further investigation and eventually they would unravel more information.

On the scorecard from January to July, Yusuf said the command generated N47.25 billion, representing 83.24 per cent of target met.

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“When compared to the same period in 2022 of N40.335 billion, a progressive difference of N6.914 billion, representing 17.14 per cent increase,” he said.

Yusuf appreciated officers and men of the command for their dedication to the service and urged them to always adhere strictly to the rules of engagements while discharging their statutory duties.

He also appreciated the acting Controller General of Customs, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, and his management team for always giving them the leverage to perform.

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I appreciate our critical stakeholders and sister agencies who are showing concern and are collaborating with the service for their continuous support,” he said.

Metro

Train Attack: Terrorist Leader Gave Mamu N50m From Ransom — DSS Operative

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A Department of State Services (DSS) investigator has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that Tukur Mamu was offered a N50 million share by Shugaba, the leader of the terrorist group, who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna-bound train in 2022.

The DSS operative, who testified as the 6th prosecution witness (PW-6) in the ongoing terrorism trial of Mamu, the alleged terrorists’ negotiator, told Justice Mohammed Umar while being led in evidence by the DSS lawyer, David Kaswe.

The witness, who gave his testimony behind a witness screen for security reasons, said the group also asked Mamu to teach them how to open a website for their terrorist activities.

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He stated this while interpreting four voice notes played in the courtroom containing the defendant’s telephone interactions with the terrorists who held the abducted train passengers hostage.

The audio recordings were extracted from Mamu’s mobile telephones during interrogation after he was arrested in Egypt and brought back to Nigeria.

The first voice note that played was for the defendant (Mamu) fixing a date for the delivery of the ransom.

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“The second voice note that played for five minutes was the voice of Shugaba, the leader of the terrorist group.

READ ALSO:Terrorism Conviction: Nnamdi Kanu’s Wife Reacts To Husband Sentencing

In the voice note, he was appreciating the defendant’s effort and asked him to remove N50 million for his personal use from a particular tranche of ransom sent to them.

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“The last voice note that played, Baba Adamu, who is their spokesperson, was heard requesting the defendant to help them procure speakers and a public address system for their preaching activities, and the defendant responded that he was going to look into their request.

“They also requested that the defendant teach them how to open a website for their activities,” the witness said.

Mamu was alleged to have convinced the terrorists to discuss ransom payments with individual families of the hostages of the train attack instead of the Chief of Defense Staff Committee set up by the Federal Government for his personal financial gain.

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The defendant was said to have been nominated by the terrorists who attacked the train sometime in March 2022, where scores of passengers were held hostage.

Mamu was alleged to have collected ransoms on behalf of a terror group from families of hostages, confirmed the amount, and facilitated the delivery of the same to them.

The PW-6, while being led in evidence by the prosecuting lawyer, Kaswe, told the court that after Mamu was brought back from Egypt, he submitted his Samsung tablet and two phones to DSS officials.

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READ ALSO:Trump Using FBI To ‘Intimidate’ Congress, US Lawmakers Cry Out

The witness, who said he was part of those who investigated the case, told the court that when the defendant was intercepted in Egypt, he put a call to his in-law, identified as Mubarak Tinja and directed him to move out all his valuables, comprising of cash, cars and other items of values, from his house to a safe location, to avoid detection by security agents.

“The defendant was subsequently arrested in Egypt and returned back to Nigeria, where a team of investigators was on the ground to receive him.

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“A duly endorsed search warrant was executed in his property and office in Kaduna, during which cash, in both local and foreign currencies, vehicles, and other valuables were recovered.

“In compliance with his directive to his in-law, Mubarak Tinja, and the other dependants in the house, some cars and cash were moved out of the house to various locations,” he said.

He said investigators later traced and located some of the items, including about 300,000 US dollars, about seven cars, including a Toyota Camry (Muscle), a Peugeot 5008, a Lexus, a Mercedes E350, and a Hyundai car.

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Vehicle documents relating to the cars were later tendered by the prosecution through the witness, which the court admitted in evidence.

The witness added that when the defendant was brought back to the country, he “handed his Samsung tablet and two of his phones to our exhibit keeper, who sent them to our forensic department for forensic analysis.

READ ALSO:Bandits Claim Kebbi, Niger Abductions, Vow More Attacks On Soldiers, Politicians [VIDEO]

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The outcome of the forensic analysis, which included the voice notes of the conversation between the defendant and the terrorists, was part of the content that was presented to the interrogation team and the items recovered from his home.

“He (the defendant) was subsequently interviewed, during which the content of his phones and other items were presented to him.

“During the interview, the defendant admitted giving instruction to Mubarak to move his belongings from his house.

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“He also admitted communicating with the terrorists, using his voice notes, which were extracted from his two phones and Samsung tablet.”

He added that the defendant also admitted owning a pump-action gun, which was recovered from his house, which he claimed was duly licensed.

The witness, however, told the court that investigators later discovered that the licence expired in December 2021, nine months before he was arrested.

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The DSS operative said about 98 per cent of the conversation on the voice notes is in Hausa Language, some of which were translated to English by him, because there were too many.

READ ALSO:Troops Destroy Bandits’ Camp, Arrest Seven Suspected Cultists In Benue

Kaswe then applied to tender the recorded voice notes stored on compact disk plates and flash drives, which the court admitted, after Mamu’s counsel, Johnson Usman, reserved his objection until the final address.

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The recorded conversations were played in the courtroom.

The witness added that in the course of the investigation, two victims volunteered written statements in which they recounted their experiences.

He said one of the statements was written in English and the other in Hausa.

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He, however, said that the victims, a male and female, were no longer available, because they expressed their unwillingness to attend court to testify because of fear and trauma.

The court admitted the statements of the victims in evidence and marked them as exhibits after it was not opposed by Usman.

The court also admitted in evidence eight statements made to investigators by Mamu and video recordings of the statement-writing sessions.

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Kaswe then informed the court that he would be bringing a formal application for the court to visit where the items recovered from Mamu’s house and office are kept.

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Metro

PHOTOS: Fire Guts Factory In Anambra

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Production machines, office equipment, and other valuables worth billions of naira were on Wednesday razed by a mysterious fire at a factory in Abubor Nnewichi, Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The fire, which sources said started around 5:50 a.m., destroyed goods in the production process and finished products as well as office equipment.

A resident of the area, who identified himself as Obinna Okoye, said the fire took them by surprise as they were still asleep when it started.

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He, however, said firefighters were on around to battle the inferno.

READ ALSO:Fire Ravages Residential Building In Oyo

“The fire service men are still trying to quench the fire. You know how inflammable pampers and tissue papers can be,” he added.

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Confirming the incident, the Commander of Fire Service in charge of Nnewi zone F Machine Parts, Jeremiah Anwuobi, said the fire had been brought under control.

Anwuobi disclosed that his office was alerted by 5:30 a.m. when they rushed to the scene of the incident to fight the fire.

READ ALSO:Fire Guts Section Of Rivers Secretariat

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He, however, said no casualties were recorded, while the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.

Reacting to the incident, an Internal Auditor of the company, Chikelu Edwin, described it as a mystery fire.

Edwin said there was no electricity supply at the section where the fire started at the factory, which surprised them.

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Police Stop Egungun Festival In Lagos Community

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The Lagos State Police Command has ordered the suspension of an Egungun festival in Oregun area of the state, earlier fixed for Friday and Saturday.

The command has also arrested suspects linked to the circulation of posters and social media posts warning residents against free movement in the area during the festival.

According to a statement signed on Wednesday by the command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, the suspects, allegedly acting under the name “Oje Parapo of Oregun,” were apprehended after distributing handbills that restricted people’s freedom of movement, expression, and dignity.

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The police described these actions as capable of inciting fear and disturbing public order.

READ ALSO:JUST IN: Tinubu Orders Withdrawal Of Police Guards From VIPs

“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Olohundare Jimoh, has therefore ordered an immediate suspension of the festival scheduled for November 27 and 28, 2025.

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“He warned that the command would not tolerate any activity capable of breaching public peace, threatening safety, or disrupting law and order in the state,” the statement read.

The police vowed that no cultural event or gathering that could heighten tensions or endanger lives would be permitted in the state.

“In a similar incident on November 23, 2025, at Mafoluku in Oshodi under Makinde Division, the police swiftly arrested 12 individuals behind another attempt to incite disorder through circulation of provocative publications.

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READ ALSO:State Police Can No Longer Be Delayed – South-West Governors

All suspects remain under investigation and will be charged upon conclusion of inquiries,” the statement added.

Reiterating the suspension, CP Jimoh directed the Oje Parapo group to desist from any attempt to proceed with the festival, stating that security for such an event could not be guaranteed.

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He condemned the fear already created among residents as unacceptable and warned that anyone attempting to undermine public peace would face the full weight of the law.

The command urged Lagos residents to continue their lawful activities without fear, assuring them of sustained protection of life and property.

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