At least 34 persons from neighbouring villages within the Kaduna metropolis were at the weekend arrested by the police for exhuming over 6000 cartons of contraband frozen chicken and other related poultry products worth over N35 million.
The police stated the arrested persons who came from Mando and Buruku villages exhumed the chicken barely 48 hours after Nigeria Customs, Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone B had destroyed, burnt and buried the contraband poultry products.
The destruction was witnessed by the officials of Kaduna State Police Command, Kaduna State Environmental Protection Agency (KEPA) as well as newsmen at the dump site designated by KEPA along Buruku/Kaduna highway last Thursday.
The Police Public Relations Officers (PPRO) in the state, DSP Zubairu Abubakar, stated the suspects were arrested following a tip-off that some persons from the neighbouring villages were exhuming contraband chicken condemned by the Customs. He said, “These are the suspects we have arrested in connection with exhuming of frozen chickens buried by the operatives of the Nigeria Customs. The chickens were buried at the state government approved dump site along Buruku/Kaduna road in conjunction with KEPA
“We got information that people were exhuming the contraband chickens that were buried by the Customs, and we rushed there and arrested about 34 suspects, they are with us.”
He added that those caught in the act had already been charged for consumption and sales of adulterated food and drinks.”
His Customs counterpart, Idris Ado, warned members of the public to beware of frozen chicken that might have possibly found their way into the market, saying that they were not fit for human consumption because they contain some toxic chemicals.