The Nigeria Police Force has arrested and repatriated a Chinese national, Zhang Shijie, who was wanted in China over alleged large-scale smuggling of endangered African rosewood.
Zhang was reportedly wanted by the Yangpu Sub-Bureau of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Haikou Customs District in China over the alleged smuggling of about 1,400 tonnes of Pterocarpus erinaceus, commonly known as African rosewood.
The consignment was valued at approximately 15.7 million Chinese yuan, according to the Force Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Police Ani Iniedu.
The alleged offences were committed between November 2020 and January 2021, while an arrest warrant was issued for Zhang on January 7, 2021.
Police intelligence later established that he was residing in Ogun State, Nigeria, using a Chinese passport that expired in November 2023.
Following surveillance and coordinated investigations, operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Abuja arrested Zhang on September 10, 2026, in the Ogere area of Ogun State.
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He was subsequently repatriated to Guangzhou, China, on September 16, 2026, as part of bilateral police cooperation between Nigeria and China.
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to strengthening international cooperation and using INTERPOL mechanisms to track wanted persons and tackle transnational organised crime.
The police also said it would continue working with INTERPOL and other international law-enforcement agencies to disrupt cross-border criminal networks and prevent Nigeria from becoming a safe haven for fugitives wanted in other countries.
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