The Nigeria Police Force has recovered two high-end vehicles stolen from the Netherlands and smuggled into Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin.
According to Hundeyin, the vehicles, a Toyota C-HR (2020 model) and a Toyota RAV4 (2019 model) were traced to separate locations in Lagos and Akwa Ibom States by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau, Abuja.
He added that the operation was conducted in collaboration with INTERPOL NCB The Hague, Netherlands, following intelligence that the vehicles had been stolen from Amsterdam and Midden-Nederland and illegally shipped into Nigeria through the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, arriving Apapa, Lagos, in late 2023.
The statement read in part, “Following the recovery, the Nigeria Police Force, through INTERPOL NCB Abuja, instituted civil forfeiture proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja. Upon the conclusion of due legal processes, the court granted a final forfeiture order in favour of the Government of the Netherlands through the vehicles’ insurance company, thereby facilitating their lawful repatriation.”
The PPRO also stated that the formal handover of the recovered vehicles to representatives of the insurance company and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria took place on Monday.
However, Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended the operatives for their professionalism and effective collaboration with their Dutch counterparts.
Egbetokun noted that the successful operation underscores the Force’s commitment to global law enforcement cooperation and efforts to cripple cross-border vehicle theft syndicates.
He said; “The successful recovery and repatriation of the vehicles reflect the Force’s firm commitment to ensuring that criminal networks involved in transnational crimes are denied the proceeds of their activities.”
He reaffirmed the commitment of the police to strengthen intelligence-led operations and deepen international collaboration against organised crime.
