The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted and handed over several luxury vehicles stolen from Canada and smuggled into Nigeria, in what officials described as a major breakthrough in the fight against transnational organised crime.
The vehicles were officially transferred at Tin Can Island Port in Lagos to Canada’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, by the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Frank Onyeka.
The recovery followed months of intelligence sharing and coordinated operations between the NCS and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Canadian investigators had uncovered a network involved in shipping stolen exotic vehicles to Nigeria through international cargo channels.
Documents dated May 5, 2026, confirmed that the recovered vehicles included a 2019 Lexus RX350, 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, 2019 Lamborghini Huracán, 2021 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible, 2018 Lamborghini Aventador, and a 2026 Toyota Tundra. Authorities said all the vehicles had been stolen in Canada before being illegally exported to Nigeria.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Comptroller Onyeka revealed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, had been hidden inside a container carrying other automobiles. The vehicle had not yet left Customs custody when intelligence from Canadian authorities triggered immediate action.
According to Onyeka, Customs officers swiftly isolated the container after receiving official shipping documents and intelligence reports from Canada. The concealed vehicle was extracted and placed under enforcement custody pending diplomatic verification.
“What looked like a routine cargo movement quickly became an international criminal investigation. Once intelligence reached us, we placed the consignment under enforcement watch and secured the vehicle pending confirmation from Canadian authorities,” Onyeka said.
He added that the Service resisted pressure from individuals attempting to intervene in the process, insisting that the recovered vehicles could only be handed directly to the Canadian government.
“We had people who wanted to step in on behalf of others, but this was too sensitive. We insisted the handover must be directly to the Canadian government,” he stated.
Onyeka said the operation demonstrates the Nigeria Customs Service’s determination to dismantle international vehicle theft syndicates exploiting global shipping routes for illicit trade.
He further noted that the successful recovery reflects growing cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo profiling, and maritime enforcement aimed at combating organised cross-border crimes.
