The Nigeria Police Force has repatriated Zhang Shijie, a Chinese fugitive wanted in China over the alleged smuggling of about 1,400 tonnes of endangered African rosewood.
Zhang was arrested on September 10, 2026, by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau, Abuja, in the Ogere area of Ogun State.
The police said he was wanted by the Yangpu Sub-Bureau of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Haikou Customs District in China over an alleged 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 on January 7, 2021.
The police said the alleged offences were committed between November 2020 and January 2021 and involved about 1,400 tonnes of the endangered tree species, with the consignment 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 reads.
The police said Zhang remained outside China after the alleged offences and was later traced to Nigeria, where he had been residing in Ogun State.
At the time of his arrest, he was reportedly in possession of a Chinese passport that had expired on November 11, 2023.
The police said the repatriation followed coordinated efforts with the relevant authorities to facilitate the suspect’s return to China to face the allegations against him.
