By Deborah Nnamdi
The Nigeria Police Force has announced a significant breakthrough in its campaign against transnational organized crime with the recovery and repatriation of two luxury vehicles stolen from the Netherlands and illegally shipped into Nigeria.
According to a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, the operation was executed by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, in collaboration with their counterparts at INTERPOL NCB The Hague.
The vehicles — a 2020 Toyota C-HR and a 2019 Toyota RAV4 — were traced to Lagos and Akwa Ibom States, respectively. Investigations revealed that the cars were stolen from Amsterdam and Midden-Nederland, before being shipped through the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, and arriving at Apapa Port, Lagos, in late 2023.
Following the recovery, the Police, through INTERPOL NCB Abuja, commenced civil forfeiture proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja. Upon completion of the legal process, the court issued a final forfeiture order in favour of the Government of the Netherlands, through the vehicles’ insurance company, authorizing their lawful repatriation.
On Monday, October 20, 2025, the Nigeria Police officially handed over the recovered vehicles to representatives of the insurance company and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Abuja, marking the successful conclusion of the cross-border restitution effort.
Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, commended the INTERPOL NCB Abuja team for their professionalism and strong collaboration with international partners, particularly INTERPOL NCB The Hague.
“The successful recovery and repatriation of these vehicles reflect our unwavering commitment to ensuring that criminals engaged in transnational crimes are denied the proceeds of their illegal activities,” the IGP said.
The Nigeria Police reaffirmed its commitment to intelligence-led policing and continued collaboration with global law enforcement agencies in the fight against cross-border crimes such as vehicle theft and smuggling.
