Police repatriate Chinese fugitive wanted over rosewood smuggling

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By Kingsley Omonobi

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The Nigeria Police Force, through the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, has repatriated a Chinese national, Zhang Shijie, to Guangzhou, China, following his arrest in Nigeria over alleged large-scale smuggling of endangered African Rosewood.

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Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Aniete Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

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According to Iniedu, Zhang was wanted by the Yangpu Sub-Bureau of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Haikou Customs District in China over an arrest warrant issued on January 7, 2021.

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He said Zhang was allegedly involved in the smuggling of about 1,400 tonnes of Pterocarpus erinaceus, commonly known as African Rosewood, an endangered tree species indigenous to West Africa.

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The consignment was valued at about 15.7 million Chinese Yuan, according to the police.

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The alleged offences were committed between November 2020 and January 2021, after which Zhang reportedly remained outside China.

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Iniedu said intelligence subsequently established that Zhang was in Nigeria, where he was residing in Ogun State with a Chinese passport that expired on November 11, 2023.

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“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,” he said.

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He added that Zhang was repatriated to Guangzhou, China, on September 16, 2026, as part of bilateral police cooperation.

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The police spokesman said the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to strengthening international police cooperation and maximising INTERPOL tools and capabilities to track fugitives and combat transnational organised crime.

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The IGP also reiterated the Force’s commitment to preventing Nigeria from being used as a safe haven by persons wanted for alleged criminal offences in other jurisdictions.

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The Nigeria Police Force, Iniedu said, would continue to work with INTERPOL and other international law-enforcement partners to strengthen cross-border security, disrupt transnational criminal networks and ensure that fugitives are brought within the reach of justice.

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