The Seme Customs Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 105 parrots and other birds coming from Togo and Katsina State worth N24,912,928.00.
The birds were intercepted in two buses, one en route from Togo to Nigeria and the other from Katsina to Benin Republic.
Ten of the birds were found dead when Customs officers stopped the buses conveying them along the Seme-Badagry Expressway.
Two suspects were also arrested in connection with the seizure.
The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Timi Bomodi, condemned the act and reiterated that trade in endangered wildlife contravenes the Convention on International Trade On Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which is an International Agreement between Governments of which Nigeria is a signatory.
The Comptroller maintained that the perpetrators of this illicit trade will continue to meet their Waterloo so long as they refuse to stay off of the Lagos-Abidjan corridor.
The seized parrots and other birds have been handed over to the Officials of the National Park Service as it is their responsibility to rehabilitate and protect them from further harm.
Peoplesmind