The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Wednesday, September 16, arrested and repatriated a wanted Chinese fugitive, Zhang Shijie, over the smuggling of about 1,400 tonnes of endangered African rosewood.
Zhang was arrested by operatives of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, in the Ogere area of Ogun state, following sustained intelligence gathering and surveillance.
The police said he was wanted by the Yangpu Sub-Bureau of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Haikou Customs District in China over a smuggling operation involving Pterocarpus erinaceus, commonly known as African rosewood.
According to a statement issued on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Ani Iniedu, Zhang was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by Chinese authorities on January 7, 2021.
The offences were committed between November 2020 and January 2021 and involved about 1,400 tonnes of the endangered tree species, valued at approximately 15.7 million Chinese yuan.
“Following sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance and coordinated investigative efforts, operatives of INTERPOL NCB Abuja arrested the fugitive on 10 September 2026 in the Ogere area of Ogun state,” the statement read.
The police said Zhang had remained outside China after the offences and was subsequently traced to Nigeria, where he was residing in Ogun state.
The force said his arrest followed efforts by INTERPOL NCB Abuja to identify and locate individuals wanted by foreign law enforcement agencies who were believed to be within Nigeria.
At the time of his arrest, Zhang was in possession of a Chinese passport that had expired on November 11, 2023.
Following his arrest, the police said the necessary procedures were initiated to facilitate his return to China in line with existing bilateral police cooperation and international law enforcement protocols.
The force said Zhang was repatriated to Guangzhou, China, on Wednesday, where he was handed over to the relevant Chinese authorities for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The police described the repatriation as another demonstration of the commitment of the NPF and INTERPOL NCB Abuja to strengthening international cooperation in the fight against transnational crime.
The force said it would continue to collaborate with foreign law enforcement agencies to track and apprehend fugitives who attempt to evade justice by relocating to Nigeria.
It added that such cooperation remained essential to ensuring that individuals wanted for serious offences do not use international borders to evade law enforcement agencies in their respective countries.
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