The Nigeria Customs Service has handed over several stolen luxury vehicles traced to Canada after intercepting them at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, in what officials described as a breakthrough in the fight against transnational vehicle theft syndicates.
The recovered vehicles, including exotic brands such as Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, and Mercedes-Benz, were formally handed over to Canadian authorities during a ceremony held at Tin Can Island Port on Monday, May 4, 2026.
The Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, received the vehicles from the Customs Area Controller of the Tin Can Island Command, Frank Onyeka.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Maiwada.
According to the statement, 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 luxury vehicles stolen in Canada and illegally exported through international shipping channels before surfacing in Nigeria.
Customs documents dated May 5, 2026, showed 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, all confirmed to have been stolen abroad before being smuggled into Nigeria.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, Onyeka disclosed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, was secretly concealed inside a container carrying other automobiles before Customs officers intercepted it.
He explained that what initially appeared to be a routine cargo movement quickly turned into an international criminal investigation after intelligence from Canadian authorities prompted immediate enforcement action.
According to him, Customs officers immediately placed the consignment under enforcement watch and secured the vehicle pending confirmation from Canadian authorities.
Onyeka said officers swiftly isolated the affected container after receiving shipping documentation and intelligence reports through official diplomatic and enforcement channels.
He added that the service deliberately withheld the release of the vehicles until Canadian officials arrived in Nigeria to physically verify and recover them, stressing that the sensitivity of the operation required direct government-to-government handover.
He described the operation as a strong signal of Nigeria’s growing capacity to combat organised international crime and stolen vehicle trafficking, noting that criminal syndicates increasingly exploit global shipping networks to move stolen vehicles across continents while disguising them as legitimate cargo.
According to him, the successful interception demonstrates the Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to strengthening cargo profiling, intelligence gathering, and maritime enforcement, while also reflecting deepening security cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in tackling organised cross-border crimes involving stolen assets, illicit trade, and other fraudulent activities.
