Nigeria repatriates Chinese fugitive arrested in Ogun over ¥15.7 million rosewood smuggling

Nigeria has returned a Chinese fugitive arrested in Ogun State over an alleged smuggling operation involving roughly 1,400 tonnes of endangered African rosewood worth ¥15.7 million ($2.34 million), according to a statement from the Nigeria Police Force. The operation, coordinated by INTERPOL's National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja, involved the arrest and repatriation of Zhang Shijie, a fugitive wanted by Chinese authorities for his alleged role in the rosewood consignment between November 2020 and January 2021.

Zhang was apprehended in the Ogere area of Ogun State on September 10, 2026, using a passport that had expired on November 11, 2023. He was subsequently returned to Guangzhou, China, on September 16, 2026, as part of ongoing cooperation between the two countries' law enforcement agencies. The repatriation underscores the importance of cross-border police collaboration in addressing transnational crimes, including alleged environmental offenses related to the illegal trade of the Pterocarpus erinaceus, or African rosewood, a tree species native to West Africa and the subject of international restrictions due to concerns over exploitation and trade.