The seized products were worth 45,470,441 Nigerian Naira. This Duty Paid Value is the highest recorded since the launch of the operation last month.

Assessing the seizure trend, Comptroller-general of Customs, Dikko Inde Abdullahi stated that smugglers of poultry products are now exploring routes in the Northern and Eastern parts of the Country, as the Special Operation had made life difficult for them in the South-Western flank.

He commended the Federal Operations Units in Lagos and Kaduna for their huge seizures, and put other Commands on alert.

Last week, FOU Operatives in Kaduna apprehended two trucks conveying smuggled poultry products at Gidan Wali, along Babana border in Niger State.

Meanwhile, the success of Operation Hawk Descend has attracted the commendation of the Poultry Association of Nigeria.

In a statement issued during the weekend, the Director-General of the Association Onallo Akpa expressed appreciation for the outstanding performance in containment of smuggled Poultry Products.

The statement said: “The leadership of the Poultry Association Farmers appreciates the excellent performance through various acts of onslaught, arrests and confiscation of smuggled poultry products into the country. This is very unprecedented, as we can boldly say that operation Hawk Descend is a highly successful exercise.”

Nigeria's Customs Service recently signed a bilateral agreement with the Customs Administration of Benin Republic to synergise and share intelligence to boost operations along the borders.

The Nigeria Customs Service has now supported Benin Customs Administration with a donation of five brand new pick-up Double Cabin Vehicles.