By Emma Peter
The Nigeria Police Force has handed over a Chinese national wanted by authorities in China over an alleged endangered timber smuggling operation after INTERPOL operatives tracked him down in Ogun State.
According to a press statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, obtained by oxford Reporters, the suspect, Zhang Shijie, was arrested on September 10, 2026, in the Ogere area of Ogun State by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja.
Zhang was being sought by the Yangpu Sub-Bureau of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Haikou Customs District in China in connection with the alleged illegal movement of about 1,400 tonnes of Pterocarpus erinaceus, commonly referred to as African Rosewood.
Chinese authorities had issued an arrest warrant for the suspect on January 7, 2021, following allegations that the timber consignment, estimated at 15.7 million Chinese Yuan, was smuggled between November 2020 and January 2021.
The police said Zhang subsequently remained outside China, with intelligence later indicating that he had established residence in Ogun State. He was also found to have been using a Chinese passport that expired on November 11, 2023.
His arrest followed intelligence-led surveillance and coordinated investigative activities by INTERPOL NCB Abuja.
Following the completion of necessary procedures, the suspect was repatriated to Guangzhou, China, on September 16, 2026, as part of ongoing law-enforcement cooperation between Nigeria and China.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, said the Nigeria Police Force would continue to utilise INTERPOL mechanisms and other international policing platforms to locate fugitives and tackle crimes that cross national borders.
He further reaffirmed the Force’s commitment to ensuring that Nigeria does not become a refuge for persons wanted in other countries over criminal allegations.
The police also reiterated its readiness to strengthen cooperation with INTERPOL and other foreign law-enforcement agencies in addressing transnational organised crime and facilitating the return of wanted persons to jurisdictions where they are required.
