The Nigeria Police Force has repatriated a 42-year-old Chinese national, Cai Jinlian, to the People’s Republic of China to face prosecution over his alleged involvement in the trafficking of endangered wildlife, marking another milestone in international law enforcement cooperation against transnational crime.
The fugitive was arrested by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, after intelligence revealed that he had been living in Nigeria and moving between Delta and Plateau states.
According to the police, Jinlian is wanted by Chinese authorities for allegedly smuggling about 12 tonnes of tree pangolin scales from Nigeria into China in two separate consignments between November 2018 and April 2019. The case was investigated by the Anti-Smuggling Sub Bureau of Wenzhou Customs.
His alleged accomplices were arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to more than 14 years’ imprisonment by the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Zhejiang Province in December 2020. However, Jinlian reportedly fled China for Egypt on July 12, 2019, before relocating to Nigeria around 2023.
Chinese authorities subsequently secured a warrant for his arrest on March 24, 2020, while an INTERPOL Red Notice was issued on May 10, 2020, leading to intensified international efforts to track him down.
Acting on credible intelligence, INTERPOL NCB Abuja operatives arrested the suspect in Abuja on July 18, 2026. He was repatriated to Shanghai on July 29 under existing bilateral police cooperation arrangements to face the pending wildlife trafficking charges.
Commending the operation, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olutunji Rilwan Disu, praised the professionalism and dedication of the INTERPOL NCB Abuja team, describing the successful repatriation as a demonstration of the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to tackling transnational organised crime.
The IGP also directed the Force’s Environmental Crimes and Works of Art Team to intensify intelligence-led operations against wildlife trafficking and other cross-border criminal activities.
He reaffirmed the Force’s resolve to strengthen collaboration with INTERPOL and other international law enforcement agencies to combat organised crime and safeguard endangered wildlife.
