The Nigeria Police Force has repatriated a Chinese national wanted in China over the alleged smuggling of about 1,400 tonnes of endangered African rosewood.
Zhang Shijie was handed over to authorities in Guangzhou on September 16, 2026, after his arrest six days earlier in the Ogere area of Ogun State, Force Public Relations Officer CSP Aniete Iniedu said in a statement on Thursday.
Zhang was the subject of an arrest warrant issued on January 7, 2021, by the Yangpu Sub-Bureau of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Haikou Customs District. Police said he was allegedly involved in the smuggling of Pterocarpus erinaceus, commonly known as African rosewood, an endangered species native to West Africa. The consignment was valued at about 15.7 million Chinese yuan.
The alleged offences occurred between November 2020 and January 2021. Zhang later remained outside China. Intelligence indicated he was living in Ogun State on a Chinese passport that expired on November 11, 2023.
Operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Abuja arrested him on September 10 following sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance and investigation, Iniedu said. The repatriation formed part of bilateral police cooperation between Nigeria and China.
Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu reaffirmed the force’s commitment to international police cooperation and the use of INTERPOL tools to track fugitives and combat transnational organised crime. He also stressed that Nigeria would not serve as a safe haven for individuals wanted for alleged criminal offences elsewhere.
The police said they would continue working with INTERPOL and other international partners to disrupt cross-border criminal networks and ensure fugitives face justice.
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