This is coming six weeks after NESREA, through its Toxic Waste Dump Watch Committee, discovered a shipment full of waste in form of used lead acid batteries, old Mazda cars, used tyres, television sets, radios, computers and fridges headed for Nigeria.

The ship was impounded and sent back when it reached the shores of the country.

This latest shipment which is full of hazardous electronic materials was detected by Belgian authorities. It had a Mercedes truck, used fridges, compressors, tyres, television sets and rugs.

The waste materials were packed in the Mercedes and Scannia trucks on March 2010 by Olabisi Olusoga of Muhlenhof, 50997 Koln-Godorf, Germany enroute to RMR Shipping Terminal Antwepen, Port of Antwerp in Belgium.

The consignee for the Mercedes Truck is Okoroafor Kyrian Uchenna of Umuahiam Afara, Mbaitoli Local Government Area (LGA) while that of the Scannia truck is Maximum Invest Limited, Old Ojo Road, Alaba in Lagos.

The Director-General of NESREA, Dr. (Mrs) Ngeri Benebo, told journalists the agency is working in partnership with the Interpol and the Basel Convention to checkmate activities of smugglers.

Benebo explained that the agency had recieved an e-mail from the Controller of Waste Transit, Federal Environmental Inspectorate of Belgium, informing it of the intended shipment into Nigeria on May 10. It was however, aborted.

She said NESREA was able to recieve the information as a result of the growing collaboration between the agency and the Seaport Environmental Security Network of the International Compliance and Enforcement (INECE).

"The notification informed us that the items were inspected and considered as hazardous wastes. The report further stated that the hazardous waste materials were confirmed to be illegally transported," she said.

According to Benebo, the packing list for the Mercedes truck only indicated 300 pieces of used electronic fans and 80 pieces of used vehicle engine, while other contents such as used refridgerators containing CFCs, used tyres and televisions were concealed by the owners.

She said luck ran out on the smugglers as the consignment was seized by the Federal Environment Inspectorate in Antwerp Belgium and sent back to its port of origin in Germany.

Commenting further on the upsurge in movement of toxic waste into the country, Benebo said sumugglers were responsible for the illegal activities, adding that NESREA had contacted the Interpol to help track down the culprits.

Furthermore, she explained that the agency was working with the Basel coordinating centre in Ibadan to try to acquire the relevant technology for recycling toxic electronic waste materials already in the country.

THISDAY learnt that the Belgian authorities have sent it back to the port of origin, following the working partnership it has with Nigeria.

Also, the Federal Government has launched an integrated waste managment initiative that would help the agency clear e-waste materials from the environment, she disclosed.