The Nigeria Police Force has successfully recovered two luxury vehicles stolen from the Netherlands and smuggled into Nigeria, following a joint operation between INTERPOL’s National Central Bureaus (NCBs) in Abuja and The Hague.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed in a statement on Monday that the vehicles—a Toyota C-HR (2020 model) and a Toyota RAV4 (2019 model)—were traced to separate locations in Lagos and Akwa Ibom States.
According to Adejobi, investigations revealed that the vehicles had been stolen from Amsterdam and Midden-Nederland before being shipped through the Port of Antwerp in Belgium and arriving at Apapa Port, Lagos, late in 2023.
Following their recovery, the police, through INTERPOL NCB Abuja, initiated civil forfeiture proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Upon the conclusion of legal processes, the court granted a final forfeiture order in favour of the Government of the Netherlands via the vehicles’ insurance company.
Adejobi noted that the cars were formally handed over to representatives of the insurance company and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria on Monday, marking the completion of the cross-border recovery process.
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Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Egbetokun, lauded the INTERPOL operatives in Abuja for their professionalism and effective collaboration with their Dutch counterparts.
He emphasized that the recovery highlights the Force’s unwavering commitment to international cooperation in combating cross-border crimes, especially vehicle theft and smuggling networks.
“The Nigeria Police Force remains steadfast in promoting intelligence-led policing and deepening global partnerships to tackle all forms of transnational organized crime,” the statement added.