Nigerian police repatriate Chinese fugitive wanted for alleged wildlife trafficking

The Nigeria Police Force has successfully arrested and repatriated a wanted Chinese wildlife fugitive, Cai Jinlian, to Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, to face prosecution. The 42-year-old Chinese national was accused of smuggling 12 tonnes of endangered pangolin scales from Nigeria to China between November 2018 and April 2019.

This was confirmed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu.

According to the statement, the repatriation was carried out through the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, under bilateral police cooperation arrangements.

It further disclosed that the alleged offence was uncovered following investigations conducted by the Anti-Smuggling Sub Bureau of Wenzhou Customs.

Police said Jinlian’s two alleged accomplices had earlier been prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to more than 14 years’ imprisonment by the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court of Zhejiang Province in December 2020.

According to the police, Jinlian fled China to Egypt on July 12, 2019, prompting Chinese authorities to obtain a warrant for his arrest on March 24, 2020.

The statement added that an INTERPOL Red Notice was subsequently issued against him on May 10, 2020. “Intelligence later established that he had relocated to Nigeria around 2023, moving between Delta and Plateau States,” the statement said.

“Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of INTERPOL NCB Abuja arrested him in Abuja on July 18, 2026, and repatriated him to Shanghai on July 29, 2026, under bilateral police cooperation arrangements to face the pending charges,” the statement added.

Reacting to the development, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, commended the officers involved in the operation and urged them to intensify efforts against transnational organised crime.

According to the statement, the IGP “commended the professionalism and dedication of the INTERPOL NCB Abuja team in the successful operation, charging the Environmental Crimes and Works of Art Team to intensify intelligence-led efforts against wildlife trafficking and other transnational organized crimes.”

The police chief also reaffirmed the Force’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with international law enforcement agencies.

“He reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to strengthening international law enforcement cooperation through INTERPOL and other strategic partnerships to combat transnational crime and protect endangered wildlife,” the statement concluded.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖