From Atiku Sarki, Abuja
The Nigeria Customs Service has handed over several intercepted luxury vehicles traced to Canada as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen international collaboration against transnational vehicle theft and smuggling.
This was disclosed in a statement made available to Triumph on Sunday following the official handover ceremony held at the Tin Can Island Port.
During the ceremony, the Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, formally received the recovered vehicles from the Customs Area Controller of the Tin Can Island Command, Frank Onyeka.
The recovery followed months of intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after Canadian authorities traced several stolen high-end vehicles allegedly smuggled into Nigeria through international shipping routes.
An internal Customs document dated May 5, 2026, revealed that the intercepted vehicles included a Lexus RX350, Mercedes-Benz G550, Land Rover Range Rover, Lamborghini Huracán, Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible, Lamborghini Aventador and a Toyota Tundra.
The vehicles were confirmed to have been stolen and illegally exported before being traced to Nigeria.
Speaking after the handover, Onyeka disclosed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, was concealed inside a container carrying other vehicles and had not yet exited Customs control before intelligence from Canadian authorities triggered immediate intervention.
“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.
According to him, once the alert was received and shipping documentation transmitted through official channels, officers of the command swiftly isolated the suspicious consignment and placed it under enforcement custody pending diplomatic verification.
He stated that the Service deliberately delayed the release of the vehicles until Canadian officials arrived in person to complete identification and recovery procedures.
“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 to preserve the integrity of the process,” he added.
The comptroller noted that the operation underscored the determination of the Nigeria Customs Service to combat international vehicle theft syndicates exploiting global shipping routes to traffic stolen automobiles across continents.
He added that the recovery further highlighted growing cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo profiling and maritime enforcement targeted at organised cross-border crimes involving stolen assets and illicit trade.