The Nigeria Customs Service has uncovered and handed over a consignment of stolen luxury vehicles smuggled into the country from Canada, in what officials described as a major breakthrough against international car theft syndicates operating through global shipping routes.
According to a statement by Customs National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, the recovered vehicles — including luxury brands such as Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz and Range Rover — were formally handed over to Canadian authorities at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos last Monday.
Among the vehicles intercepted by Customs were 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, all confirmed to have been stolen in Canada before being illegally exported to Nigeria.
The handover ceremony was conducted by the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, who presented the vehicles to Canada’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou. 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 the stolen vehicles to Nigeria through international shipping channels.
Speaking during the handover, Onyeka disclosed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, had been concealed inside a container carrying other automobiles and was intercepted before it could leave Customs control. “What looked like a routine cargo movement quickly became an international criminal investigation,” Onyeka said.
“Once intelligence reached us, we placed the consignment under enforcement watch and secured the vehicle pending confirmation from Canadian authorities.” He explained that Customs deliberately delayed the release process until Canadian officials arrived personally to verify and recover the vehicles.
“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. Onyeka said the operation underscored Nigeria’s growing capacity to combat transnational organised crime and dismantle vehicle theft networks exploiting international maritime routes.
He added that the successful recovery further strengthened cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo profiling and maritime enforcement aimed at tackling cross-border crimes, illicit trade and fraud.