Photos: Port Harcourt Residents Dig Out Condemned Chickens by Nigerian Customs

Residence of Port Harcourt recently dug up tonnes of chicken condemned and buried by the Nigerian Customs at a trailer park at Ebubu in Eleme local government area of Rivers state. The people went to the pit with shovels, pans, basins and buckets, which they used to dig up the chickens and carry them to their homes.
On Friday, October 30, Customs officials had dumped and buried thousands of cartons of frozen poultry seized at the Onne Ports. The chickens, said to have been packed in six containers, were emptied and buried at the site.

 

However, early next morning locals went to the site, digging out the poultry. Each home had a refrigerator full of chickens while some even went ahead to do chicken barbecues.

Hearing of the incident, the Archbishop of the popular Commonwealth Covenant Church, Most Rev. Moses Kattey, sounded a note of warning to residents of Eleme and neighbouring communities about the danger of eating the condemned chicken.

“A very mighty hole was dug and trailers of carton of chicken were buried by govt for health reasons. People have gone there with shovels to exhume the meat to sell. Warn your people please not to buy frozen or fried chicken next 2 weeks. They are poisonous. This happened here in Eleme but can be sold anywhere,” the archbishop said.

Friday Lewa Goya, a local resident said:
“We saw scores of people in Eleme/Onne axis (just before trailer Park) carrying raffia bags full of exhumed ‘frozen’ chickens and turkey. The Nigerian Customs buried them yesterday after seizing them from the importers. Please if you live in Rivers state, especially in Onne area cascade this post. You might also want to stay off frozen poultry for a while.”

Other residents, however, said there was no health hazard with the poultry. Lasbrey Iriaka said the poultry was confiscated not because it had expired or because it posed a health hazard.
“It was seized from importers because it is contraband. The customs men even diverted one container themselves. So who is fooling who?” queried Iriaka. 

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Rivers state has accused the Nigeria Customs Service, Onne Command and officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Port Harcourt of responsibility for the excavation of the poorly disposed contaminated products by some residents of Eleme and its environs last weekend.