Nigeria Customs Hands Over Stolen Luxury Vehicles to Canada
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over several intercepted luxury vehicles stolen from Canada, in a move aimed at strengthening international cooperation against transnational vehicle theft and illicit cargo trafficking.
The official handover ceremony took place on Monday, May 4, 2026, at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, where the Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Mr. Nasser Salihou, received the recovered vehicles from the Customs Area Controller of the Tin Can Island Command, Comptroller Frank Onyeka.
The recovery followed months of intelligence sharing and joint operations between the NCS and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after Canadian authorities traced a number of stolen exotic vehicles allegedly smuggled into Nigeria through international shipping routes.
According to an internal Customs document dated May 5, 2026, the recovered vehicles included a 2019 Lexus RX350, 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, 2019 Lamborghini Huracán, 2021 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible, 2018 Lamborghini Aventador, and a 2026 Toyota Tundra.
The vehicles were reportedly confirmed to have been stolen in Canada before being illegally exported and shipped to Nigeria.
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Speaking during the handover ceremony, Comptroller Onyeka disclosed that one of the recovered vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, had been concealed inside a container transporting other vehicles and was intercepted before leaving Customs custody.
He explained that intelligence received from Canadian authorities, alongside shipping documentation transmitted through official channels, prompted officers of the Command to isolate the consignment and place the vehicle under enforcement watch pending diplomatic verification.
“What looked like a routine cargo movement quickly became an international criminal investigation. Once intelligence reached us, we placed the consignment under enforcement watch and secured the vehicle pending confirmation from Canadian authorities,” Onyeka stated.
The Customs boss further revealed that the Service delayed the final release of the vehicles until representatives of the Canadian government arrived in Nigeria to complete identification and recovery procedures.
“We had people who wanted to step in on behalf of others, but this was too sensitive. We insisted the handover must be directly to the Canadian government to preserve the integrity of the process,” he added.
Onyeka said the operation underscored the Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to combating transnational organised crime and disrupting international vehicle theft syndicates exploiting maritime trade channels.
He also noted that the successful recovery highlighted growing collaboration between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo profiling, and maritime enforcement aimed at tackling cross-border crimes, illicit trade, and asset trafficking.
By PRNigeria
