The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has handed over a cache of stolen exotic vehicles traced to Canada, in a major operation highlighting Nigeria’s growing role in international anti-smuggling enforcement and cargo intelligence cooperation.
The handover ceremony took place at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, where the Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, formally received the recovered vehicles from the Customs Area Controller, Frank Onyeka.
The operation followed sustained intelligence-sharing between the NCS and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which traced the stolen luxury vehicles to Nigeria through international shipping routes.
Among the recovered automobiles were high-end brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, and Toyota models, all confirmed to have been stolen abroad before being illegally shipped into Nigeria.
Comptroller Onyeka revealed that one of the vehicles was hidden inside a container alongside other automobiles and had not left Customs custody before intelligence from Canadian authorities prompted immediate enforcement action.
“What appeared to be a routine cargo movement quickly escalated into an international criminal investigation. Once intelligence reached us, we secured the consignment and ensured due process was followed,” Onyeka said.
He explained that Customs officers isolated the shipment, extracted the suspected stolen vehicle, and placed it under strict enforcement custody pending diplomatic verification.
According to Onyeka, the Service deliberately delayed releasing the vehicles until Canadian officials physically arrived in Nigeria to complete identification and recovery procedures, despite attempts by unauthorised persons to intervene.
The Customs controller said the successful operation demonstrates the agency’s determination to dismantle transnational vehicle theft syndicates exploiting maritime trade channels.
He added that the recovery reflects growing cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence-sharing, cargo profiling, and maritime security, particularly in combating organised cross-border crimes involving stolen assets and illicit trade.
