The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has repatriated Zhang Shijie, a Chinese national wanted by authorities in Beijing for the alleged large-scale smuggling of approximately 1,400 tonnes of endangered African rosewood.

Zhang was apprehended on September 10, 2026, by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja during a targeted operation in the Ogere area of Ogun State.

According to a statement released by Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, the suspect was the subject of an official arrest warrant issued by the Yangpu Sub-Bureau of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Haikou Customs District on January 7, 2021.

Investigators established that the alleged offenses occurred between November 2020 and January 2021, involving Pterocarpus erinaceus—commonly known as African rosewood—with an estimated market value of 15.7 million Chinese yuan.

Following the issuance of the warrant, Zhang fled China and went underground, eventually being tracked down to his hideout in Ogun State. At the time of his arrest, police found him in possession of a Chinese passport that had expired in November 2023.

Following the conclusion of preliminary protocols, Zhang was flown back to Guangzhou, China, on September 16 under bilateral police cooperation frameworks.

The police high command emphasized that the successful operation underscores Nigeria’s commitment to leveraging international partnerships to prevent the country from serving as a safe haven for transnational criminal syndicates.