Police repatriate Chinese fugitive wanted over rosewood smuggling

The Nigeria Police Force has handed over a Chinese national wanted by authorities in his country over the alleged smuggling of 1,400 tonnes of endangered African rosewood.

The suspect, identified as Zhang Shijie, was arrested in Ogun State by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau, Abuja, before being repatriated to China.

The Force said Zhang was wanted by the Yangpu Sub-Bureau of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the Haikou Customs District in China in connection with an alleged smuggling operation involving Pterocarpus erinaceus, commonly known as African rosewood.

According to the police, the alleged offences were committed between November 2020 and January 2021.

A warrant for Zhang’s arrest was reportedly issued by Chinese authorities on January 7, 2021.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Ani Iniedu, disclosed the development in a statement on Thursday, saying sustained intelligence gathering and surveillance by INTERPOL operatives led to the suspect’s arrest.

Zhang was apprehended on September 10 in the Ogere area of Ogun State, where the police said he had been residing after leaving China.

The consignment involved in the alleged smuggling operation was said to have contained about 1,400 tonnes of the endangered timber species and was valued at approximately 15.7 million Chinese yuan.

The police said the suspect remained outside China after the alleged offences before eventually being traced to Nigeria.

At the time of his arrest, Zhang was reportedly carrying a Chinese passport which had expired on November 11, 2023.

Following his arrest, the Nigerian authorities commenced the process of returning him to China under existing bilateral police cooperation arrangements.

The Force said Zhang was repatriated to Guangzhou on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.

The police described the operation as the outcome of cooperation between Nigerian and Chinese law enforcement authorities and sustained intelligence-led efforts to locate fugitives wanted across jurisdictions.

The development also highlights the cross-border dimension of illegal trafficking in endangered timber species, with the alleged shipment involving African rosewood, a species subject to international conservation controls.