Police in Nigeria seize thousands of donkey penises

Officials in Nigeria have seized thousands of donkey penises set to be exported to Hong Kong.

Nigeria Customs Service area commander, Sambo Dangaladima, told AP they discovered 16 sacks of donkey genitalia at the international airport in Lagos.

They were initially "falsely declared … as cow male genitals (but) after due examination, my export officers discovered they were donkey male genitals," said Dangaladima.

An investigation has since been launched to understand where they came from.

The donkey discovery is unsurprisingly rare. However, the outlet reports that donkey skins are often smuggled in and out of the country.

In July, customs seized $116,000 (£98,800) worth of donkey skin smuggled into the country from neighbouring Niger.

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According to the British charity, The Donkey Sanctuary, the skin is used in a traditional Chinese remedy known as ejiao.

The collagen extracted from the donkey skin is mixed with herbs and other ingredients to form a pill or liquid for consumer use. Users believe it treats various conditions such as bleeding, dizziness, insomnia and a dry cough. Ejiao can also be found in some beauty products.

There have been attempts to ban the killing of donkeys, which is yet to be passed into law.

"The major beneficiary in this trade is the donkey [skin] merchants in China," says Muhammad Datti, one of the federal lawmakers supporting the proposed ban.

"This animal is facing extinction [in Nigeria], and it cannot breed in large numbers because of the very low rate of fertility."

The Donkey Sanctuary estimates that around 4.8 million donkeys are killed each year for their skins, using "unregulated, inhumane and unsanitary" methods.

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