Nigeria hands over rosewood smuggling suspect to China — Premium Times Nigeria
Nigerian police handed over Chinese national Zhang Shijie to Chinese authorities. He is wanted in China on suspicion of smuggling about 1,400 tonnes of African rosewood. The man was detained on September 10 in the Ogere area of Ogun State and repatriated to Guangzhou on September 16, Premium Times Nigeria reports.
Wanted in China
According to Nigerian police spokesperson Ani Iniedu, Zhang was wanted by the anti-smuggling unit of the Yangpu branch of the Haikou Customs District. A warrant for his arrest in China was issued on January 7, 2021.
The Chinese national is suspected of large-scale smuggling of timber from the Pterocarpus erinaceus species, known as African rosewood. The source describes this plant as an endangered tree species native to West Africa. The value of the cargo was estimated at approximately 15.7 million Chinese yuan.
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Detention in Ogun State
According to police, the alleged offenses were committed between November 2020 and January 2021, after which Zhang remained outside China. Nigerian law enforcement officers established that he was living in Ogun State and that his Chinese passport expired on November 11, 2023.
Police said the detention resulted from intelligence work, surveillance and coordination by officers of the Interpol National Central Bureau in Abuja. The repatriation was carried out within the framework of bilateral police cooperation between Nigeria and China.
Nigerian Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu said law enforcement officers would continue to use Interpol tools and international cooperation to track fugitives and combat transnational organized crime.
