The Nigeria Customs Service has handed over several stolen luxury vehicles traced to Canada in what officials described as a major breakthrough in international anti-smuggling cooperation.
- +Nigeria Customs recovers stolen luxury cars traced to Canada
The vehicles were formally transferred to Canadian authorities on Monday at the Tin Can Island Port Command in Lagos, where Nasser Salihou, deputy high commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, received them from Frank Onyeka, the Customs Area Compttroller.
The vehicles were formally transferred to Canadian authorities on Monday at the Tin Can Island Port Command in Lagos, where Nasser Salihou, deputy high commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, received them from Frank Onyeka, the Customs Area Compttroller.
The recovery followed months of intelligence sharing between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after Canadian authorities traced a number of stolen vehicles allegedly smuggled into Nigeria through international shipping routes.
Internal Customs documents dated May 5, 2026, showed 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.
Speaking during the handover, Onyeka disclosed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, was concealed inside a container carrying other vehicles before intelligence from Canadian authorities prompted Customs officers to place the shipment under watch.
“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, officers isolated the suspicious container after receiving shipping documentation through official channels and placed the vehicle under enforcement custody pending diplomatic verification.
He added that the Service delayed the final release 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 said.
Onyeka said the operation reflected growing cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo profiling and maritime enforcement targeted at tackling organised cross-border crimes, including stolen vehicle trafficking and illicit trade.
