The Nigeria Police Force has handed over a suspected wildlife trafficker, Cai Jinlian, to Chinese authorities to face prosecution over allegations bordering on the illegal trade of endangered animal products.
The repatriation was conducted through the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, according to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Force spokesperson, Ani Iniedu.
Iniedu said Jinlian was wanted in China 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 followed investigations by the Anti-Smuggling Sub Bureau of Wenzhou Customs.
He explained that two individuals linked to the operation had earlier been convicted and sentenced to more than 14 years in prison by the Wenzhou Intermediate People’s Court of Zhejiang Province in December 2020.
According to the police spokesperson, an arrest warrant was issued for Jinlian on March 24, 2020, after he fled China for Egypt on July 12, 2019. This was later followed by an INTERPOL Red Notice published on May 10, 2020.
He added that intelligence reports later revealed that the suspect relocated to Nigeria around 2023 and moved between Delta and Plateau States.
“Following credible intelligence, INTERPOL NCB Abuja operatives arrested him in Abuja on July 18, 2026, and repatriated him to Shanghai on July 29, 2026, under existing bilateral police cooperation agreements to face the charges against him,” Iniedu stated.