The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) says it 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 by operatives of the INTERPOL National
Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, on September 10 in the Ogere area of Ogun state.
The police said the suspect 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 Ani Iniedu,
force public relations officer, 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 had remained outside China after the
alleged offences and was later traced to Nigeria, where he was residing in Ogun
state.
At the time of his arrest, he was said to be in possession
of a Chinese passport that had expired on November 11, 2023.
The force said Zhang was repatriated to Guangzhou, China, on
Wednesday, September 16 as part of bilateral police cooperation.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com