The Nigeria Customs Service said it had handed over intercepted luxury vehicles traced to Canada, in what officials described as a major operation against transnational vehicle theft syndicates. A statement by customs said the handover ceremony took place on May 4 at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, where Canada’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, received the recovered vehicles from the Customs Area Controller of the Tin Can Island Command, Frank Onyeka.
The Customs said the recovery followed months of intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after Canadian authorities traced several stolen luxury vehicles believed to have been smuggled into Nigeria through international shipping networks.
The statement said Internal Customs documents dated May 5 showed the intercepted vehicles included a 2019 Lexus RX350, a 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, a 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, a 2019 Lamborghini Huracán, a 2021 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible, a 2018 Lamborghini Aventador and a 2026 Toyota Tundra. The Customs said all the vehicles had been stolen abroad and illegally exported before ending up in Nigeria.
Speaking after the handover, Onyeka said one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, had been concealed inside a container carrying other vehicles and was intercepted before leaving Customs custody after intelligence from Canadian authorities triggered immediate intervention.“What looked like a routine cargo movement quickly became an international criminal investigation,” Onyeka said.
“Once intelligence reached us, we placed the consignment under enforcement watch and secured the vehicle pending confirmation from Canadian authorities,” he added.
He said Customs officers isolated the container and extracted the vehicle after receiving shipping documentation and intelligence reports through official diplomatic and enforcement channels.
Onyeka said the service delayed the final release of the vehicles until Canadian officials arrived in person to complete identification and recovery procedures.“We had people who wanted to step in on behalf of others, but this was too sensitive,” the Customs Official said.
He said the operation underscored the Nigeria Customs Service’s efforts to combat transnational vehicle theft syndicates exploiting global shipping routes to move stolen vehicles across continents.
According to Onyeka, the recovery also highlighted growing cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo profiling and maritime enforcement targeting organised cross-border crimes involving stolen assets and illicit trade.