Major Bust: Nigerian Customs Seize 64 Donkey Hides and Expired Tramadol — Official Warns of 'High Morbidity'

Customs intercept shipment of donkey hides and expired drugs

Nigerian Customs officers intercepted a shipment that included 64 donkey hides bound for China, 54 cartons of foreign soap, more than 20,000 liters of gas and 91 cartons of expired Tramadol, officials told Sahara Reporters. Authorities say the seizure prevented what they describe as a potentially serious public-health and environmental incident.

"The illicit slaughter and export of donkey skins have increased across Nigeria due to their use in traditional medicine in China,"

Comptroller Gambo Bature Bashir said, noting that each hide represented a fully slaughtered animal and that the commercial export of donkey skins is illegal in Nigeria.

Public-health concerns

Customs officials warned that expired Tramadol, an opioid painkiller, poses a major health risk. "If these expired Tramadol capsules had reached the public, they could have caused high morbidity and mortality, worsened drug abuse, and triggered violent crimes among youths," Bashir told the outlet. Expired medications can be less effective, unpredictable in potency, or harmful, particularly when abused.

Environmental and community impacts

Experts and officials say unchecked trade in donkey skins threatens local donkey populations and the livelihoods of rural communities that rely on the animals for transport and farm work. The loss of a widely used working animal can disrupt ecosystems and local food-production systems, potentially raising food prices and worsening food insecurity.

The African Union has banned commercial slaughter of donkeys to curb the trade and protect vulnerable populations and ecosystems.

Broader risks from trafficking

Authorities also noted that smuggling networks often move into remote areas to avoid detection, damaging habitats and putting pollinators and other wildlife at risk — with knock-on effects for agriculture. Local agencies such as the Nigerian Customs Service play a key role in enforcing bans and intercepting illicit shipments.

While smuggling remains a widespread challenge, officials say continued monitoring, interdiction and cooperation across borders are necessary to deter poachers and traffickers and to protect public health, biodiversity and rural livelihoods.