Customs Sends Rescued Baby Gorilla Back Home to Congo
By Patience Ikpeme
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has successfully returned a rescued baby gorilla named Bili to her home country, the Republic of Congo, in the first operation of its kind carried out by the Service from start to finish. The return took place between 22 and 28 September 2026.
The exercise covered every stage of the process, from the seizure of the animal and her rescue to her care and recovery, and finally her journey across borders. The Service said this shows that Customs now does much more than collect revenue and is playing a bigger part in protecting the country’s security and its environment.
Bili was rescued in August 2023 by officers of the Special Wildlife Office, which operates under the Customs Intelligence Unit, during an enforcement operation. She was handed over to the Pandrillus Foundation in Calabar, where she was looked after for the next three years.
Later, a DNA test showed that Bili came from the Republic of Congo. That finding led to careful planning of her journey home. She was first moved from Calabar to Lagos and then flown to the Tchimpounga Nature Reserve in Pointe-Noire, Congo. The flight was provided free of charge by the logistics company DHL.
The Service explained that the transfer followed the rules of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES. Gorillas are listed under Appendix I of the convention, which gives the strongest level of protection to a species.
The Service said the success of the operation came from teamwork among government bodies, conservation groups and private companies. It thanked the Pandrillus Foundation, DHL, Focused Conservation, the Aspinall Wildlife Trust, the CITES Desk of the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Republic of Congo for their roles in bringing Bili home. Officials also said the exercise had the backing of the CITES Management Authority of the Federal Ministry of Environment.
The Service also shared figures showing that its fight against illegal wildlife trade has grown stronger this year. Between January and September 2026, Customs and its area commands made 22 seizures of wildlife products, saved 699 live animals and arrested 11 suspects.
Among the items taken from traffickers were 220 kilogrammes of pangolin scales, 48 elephant tusks and about 219 kilogrammes of worked ivory. The animals rescued came from many species, including pangolins, monkeys and apes, lion cubs, hyenas, crowned cranes, tortoises, gorillas and chimpanzees. In September alone, officers intercepted 440 African mud turtles and 90 ostrich chicks.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and his management team described the operation as proof of the wider work of the Service. They said the Service “is not only focused on revenue generation but also on national security and the protection of the environment.”
They also asked members of the public to help by giving information about illegal wildlife trade to the nearest Customs office.
Observers of the sector believe that well-publicised operations of this kind can raise Nigeria’s standing among international conservation bodies. They also say such efforts can discourage traffickers, because they show that Nigerian authorities have the ability to act and to work with partners in other countries.
