Customs repatriates rescued baby gorilla to Congo

By Adebola Muili

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has repatriated Bili, a rescued female baby gorilla, to the Republic of Congo after a three-year rehabilitation process, in what the Service described as its first international full-cycle wildlife operation.

The NCS disclosed this in a statement signed by its National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

According to the Service, the repatriation exercise took place between September 22 and 28, 2026, following Bili’s rescue in August 2023 during an enforcement operation against wildlife trafficking.

The gorilla was subsequently placed under the care of the Pandrillus Foundation in Calabar for rehabilitation, while a DNA test later confirmed that she originated from the Republic of Congo.

The Service said Bili was moved from Calabar to Lagos before being airlifted by DHL to the Réserve Naturelle de Tchimpounga in Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo, at no cost to the Service. She was accompanied on the journey by a caregiver and a veterinary doctor.

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 NCS noted that gorillas are listed under Appendix I of CITES and therefore receive the highest level of protection under the convention as species threatened with extinction.

The Service said the successful return of Bili marked the completion of the entire wildlife enforcement cycle, from interception and rescue to rehabilitation and international repatriation.

It added that the development demonstrated Nigeria’s commitment, as a signatory to CITES, to fulfilling its international obligations on the protection of endangered wildlife.

The NCS said its Special Wildlife Office (SWO), under the Customs Intelligence Unit, had continued to strengthen enforcement against wildlife trafficking while working with relevant local and international partners to ensure that rescued animals receive appropriate care and are returned to their countries of origin.

The Service said its intensified enforcement efforts between January and September 2026 resulted in 22 wildlife seizures, the rescue of 699 live animals and the arrest of 11 suspects by the SWO and various Customs Area Commands.

Among the items seized during the period were 220 kilogrammes of pangolin scales, 48 elephant tusks and 219.05 kilogrammes of worked ivory.

The operations, it said, were carried out in Ogun, Kano, Borno/Yobe, Calabar, Taraba, Kaduna and Lagos, among other locations.

The NCS added that its interventions also led to the rescue of pangolins, primates, lion cubs, hyenas, crowned cranes, tortoises, gorillas and chimpanzees.

In September alone, the Service said its operatives intercepted 440 African mud turtles and 90 ostrich chicks, while several arrests were also made in connection with wildlife trafficking.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, and his management team commended 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 for their support in ensuring Bili’s safe return.

The Service also urged members of the public to provide information on suspected illegal wildlife trade to the nearest Customs formation, stressing that its responsibilities extend beyond revenue generation to national security and environmental protection.