The Nigeria Customs Service (Nigeria Customs Service) has handed over several luxury vehicles st+len from Canada and sm¥ggled into Nigeria, describing the move as part of efforts to strengthen international cooperation against organised cr+me.
In a statement issued on Sunday, NCS spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada said the recovery reflects Nigeria’s commitment to tackling sm¥ggling and cross-border cr+minal activities.
The handover ceremony took place at Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, where Canada’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, received the recovered vehicles from Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Frank Onyeka.
According to Customs, the operation followed months of intelligence sharing between the NCS and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after Canadian authorities traced st+len luxury vehicles allegedly sm¥ggled into Nigeria.
The recovered vehicles include a 2019 Lexus RX350, 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, 2023 Range Rover, 2019 Lamborghini Huracán, 2021 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible, 2018 Lamborghini Aventador, and a 2026 Toyota Tundra.
Speaking after the handover, Onyeka revealed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, had been hidden inside a container carrying other vehicles before intelligence from Canadian authorities prompted immediate action.
“What looked like a routine cargo movement quickly became an international cr+minal investigation. Once intelligence reached us, we placed the consignment under enforcement watch and secured the vehicle pending confirmation from Canadian authorities,” he said.
He added that Customs rejected attempts by third parties to receive the vehicles, insisting they be handed directly to Canadian officials to maintain transparency and the integrity of the process.
Onyeka also noted that the successful recovery highlights the growing partnership between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo profiling, maritime enforcement, and the fight against organised cross-border cr+mes involving st+len assets and ill+cit trade.
