By Imisioluwa Afunmiso
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has repatriated a 42-year-old Chinese national, Cai Jinlian, to the People’s Republic of China to face prosecution over alleged wildlife trafficking involving the smuggling of endangered pangolin scales.
The repatriation, carried out through the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja, followed the suspect’s arrest by operatives of the Nigeria Police on July 18, 2026, after intelligence revealed he had been residing in Nigeria.
He was flown to Shanghai on July 29 under existing bilateral police cooperation arrangements.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, said Jinlian is wanted by Chinese authorities for allegedly masterminding the illegal shipment of approximately 12 tonnes of tree pangolin scales from Nigeria to China in two consignments between November 2018 and April 2019.
According to the police, investigations conducted by the Anti-Smuggling Sub-Bureau of Wenzhou Customs linked the suspect to the transnational wildlife trafficking operation.
The statement noted that two of Jinlian’s 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.
Police further disclosed that the suspect fled China for Egypt on July 12, 2019, prompting Chinese authorities to obtain a warrant for his arrest on March 24, 2020. An INTERPOL Red Notice was subsequently issued on May 10, 2020.
Investigations later established that he relocated to Nigeria around 2023, where he reportedly moved between Delta and Plateau states before his eventual arrest in Abuja.
The Force said the successful operation underscores the commitment of the Nigeria Police, through INTERPOL NCB Abuja, to strengthening international law enforcement collaboration against transnational organized crime, including wildlife trafficking.
The police also reaffirmed their resolve to continue working with international partners to ensure that fugitives using Nigeria as a hideout are identified, arrested, and returned to face justice in accordance with the law.