CALABAR—TWO persons, suspected to have smuggled
145 poisonous snakes and other tropical rainforest reptiles from
Cameroon to Nigeria, have disappeared from the custody of the Nigerian
Agricultural and Quarantine Agency in Calabar, the office they were
handed over to by the Nigerian Customs Service along with their
consignment.
Mr.
Ibrahim Jubril, the Minister of State for Environment, who visited the
office weekend, to handover the reptiles to the University of Uyo for
research, was told by Sunday Uket, the Director of the agency that “just
two persons were brought here and we have no clue where they have
disappeared to.”
The Minister, who said he was
surprised and unhappy with the agency’s poor handling of the situation,
noted that the smugglers would have been a veritable source of
information on where they got the reptiles, where they were taking them
to and for what purpose.
Speaking while handing
over the reptiles to the University of Uyo represen-tatives, Mr. Jubril
said the importers wanted to use Nigeria as transit point for smuggling
the items to Rotterdam and Luxemburg.
Dr. Edem
Eniang of the Department of Forestry and Natural Environment
Management, a snake expert who took delivery of three boxes, said the
snakes were professionally packaged for export and that the venom in
African mambas is the best and the most sought after in Europe for the
treatment of stroke and high blood pressure.
He
added that the snakes will be separated and those still alive will be
trained in a snake farm and then milked for their venom to be used for
scientific research by the university.
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