The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has repatriated a rescued female baby gorilla, Bili, to the Democratic Republic of Congo in its first full-cycle international wildlife operation.
The operation, carried out from September 22 to 28, 2026, was executed through the Special Wildlife Office, SWO, under the Customs Intelligence Unit, CIU. Bili was airlifted from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to the Réserve Naturelle de Tchimpounga, Département du Kouilou, Pointe-Noire, in the Republic of Congo.
According to the Service, Bili was rescued in August 2023 during enforcement operations against wildlife trafficking and placed under the care of the Pandrillus Foundation, Calabar, for rehabilitation.
After a DNA test confirmed she is from the Republic of Congo, officials arranged her movement from Calabar to Lagos, and she was airlifted to Congo by DHL at no cost, accompanied by a caregiver and a veterinary doctor.
The NCS said the repatriation was carried out in line with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, CITES, with support from the CITES Management Authority under the Federal Ministry of Environment.
The gorilla is listed under Appendix I of CITES and afforded the highest level of protection as a species threatened with extinction.
The Service said the repatriation represents the culmination of interception, rescue, rehabilitation and international cooperation in protecting endangered wildlife.
The repatriation comes amid intensified enforcement against illegal wildlife trade. Between January and September 2026, the SWO and Customs Area Commands recorded 22 wildlife seizures, rescued 699 live animals and arrested 11 suspects.
The seizures included 220 kilogrammes of pangolin scales, 48 elephant tusks and 219.05 kilogrammes of worked ivory, alongside various live endangered species intercepted across Ogun, Kano, Borno/Yobe, Calabar, Taraba, Kaduna and Lagos.
Notable interventions included the rescue of pangolins, primates, lion cubs, hyenas, crowned cranes, tortoises, gorillas and chimpanzees, as well as the interception of 440 African mud turtles and 90 ostrich chicks in September.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, acknowledged the support of the Pandrillus Foundation, DHL, Focused Conservation, the Aspinall Wildlife Trust, the CITES Desk of the Federal Ministry of Environment, and the Government of the Republic of Congo.
The Service reaffirmed that it is not only focused on revenue generation but also on national security and environmental protection, and urged the public to report illegal wildlife trade to the nearest Customs formation.
