The Nigeria Police Force has recorded a significant breakthrough in the fight against transnational organized crime with the recovery of two luxury vehicles stolen from the Netherlands and illegally imported into Nigeria.
Operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, in collaboration with INTERPOL NCB The Hague, successfully traced and recovered the vehicles—a 2020 Toyota C-HR and a 2019 Toyota RAV4—from different locations in Lagos and Akwa Ibom States.
Investigations revealed that the vehicles were stolen from Amsterdam and Midden-Nederland before being shipped to Nigeria through the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, arriving at the Apapa Port in Lagos in late 2023.
Following the recovery, the Nigeria Police Force, through INTERPOL NCB Abuja, initiated civil forfeiture proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, the Court, after due legal processes, granted a final forfeiture order in favour of the Government of the Netherlands through the vehicles’ insurance company, paving the way for their lawful repatriation.
“In furtherance of this process, the INTERPOL NCB Abuja team today, 20th October 2025, formally handed over the recovered vehicles to representatives of the insurance company and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria, marking the successful conclusion of this cross-border recovery and restitution effort,” the statement added.
Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commended the INTERPOL NCB Abuja operatives for their professionalism and effective collaboration with international partners, particularly INTERPOL NCB The Hague. He emphasized that the successful operation underscores the Force’s unwavering commitment to global law enforcement cooperation and to dismantling criminal networks engaged in cross-border vehicle theft and smuggling.
The Nigeria Police Force reaffirmed its resolve to strengthen intelligence-driven policing and enhance international partnerships to combat all forms of transnational organized crime.
