Operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, in a coordinated operation with INTERPOL NCB The Hague, have successfully recovered two stolen vehicles traced to Nigeria from the Netherlands.
The vehicles, a Toyota C-HR (2020 model) and a Toyota RAV4 (2019 model), were located in Lagos and Akwa Ibom States following intelligence-led operations.
Investigations revealed that the cars were stolen from Amsterdam and Midden-Nederland before being shipped to Nigeria through the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, arriving at Apapa Port, Lagos, in late 2023.
After their recovery, the Nigeria Police Force, through INTERPOL NCB Abuja, initiated civil forfeiture proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Upon the conclusion of the legal process, the court granted a final forfeiture order in favour of the Government of the Netherlands, through the vehicles’ insurance company, enabling their lawful repatriation.
In line with this order, the INTERPOL team in Nigeria on Monday, October 20, 2025, officially handed over the recovered vehicles to representatives of the insurance company and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria.
The handover marks the successful completion of a cross-border collaboration between the Nigerian and Dutch authorities, demonstrating the commitment of both countries to combating transnational crimes, particularly vehicle theft and trafficking.
Police authorities described the operation as a milestone in international law enforcement cooperation, reaffirming INTERPOL’s role in tracing, recovering, and returning stolen assets across borders.
