China establishes a police station in Nigeria.

To monitor its nationals residing abroad, the Chinese government has established many “overseas police service stations” around the world, including Nigeria.

This is said in a report titled “110 Overseas: Chinese Transnational Policing Gone Wild,” which discusses China’s efforts to combat “fraud” committed by its people residing abroad.

According to the research, these police stations have opened in 22 nations throughout the world. London, Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest, Athens, Paris, Madrid, and Frankfurt are among the European locations.

Four of the stations are also located in North America, with three in Toronto and one in New York City. In total, 54 similar stations can be found in 30 different nations.

The Fuzhou-Run Overseas Police “Service Station” in Nigeria is believed to be in Benin City, Edo State.

According to the report, China established these police stations to “combat the growing issue of fraud and telecommunication fraud by Chinese nationals living abroad,” and its operations resulted in 230,000 Chinese nationals being “persuaded to return” to China “voluntarily” in the last year to face criminal prosecution.

The report also discusses probable human rights violations linked with the stations, such as the employment of harassment and intimidation tactics, such as threatening the family members of abroad citizens.

Human rights organizations have expressed worry about China’s conduct. Safeguard Defenders Campaign Director Laura Harth stated on Monday that the number of secret police stations put up by the Chinese government throughout the world has been “increasing” after 54 stations were discovered in 30 countries.

According to Safeguard Defenders’ analysis, while foreign police service centers may assist Chinese diaspora and tourists with day-to-day issues, they are part of a comprehensive worldwide web of surveillance and control that allows the Communist Party to reach far beyond China’s borders.

“As these operations continue to develop, and new mechanisms are set up, it is evident that countries governed by the standards set by universal human rights and the rule of law urgently need to investigate these practices to identify the (local) actors at work, mitigate the risks and effectively protect the growing number of those targeted,” the report said.

The Nigerian police force has yet to remark on the situation.

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