The Nigeria Customs Service has handed over several intercepted luxury vehicles traced to Canada as part of efforts to strengthen international cooperation against transnational vehicle theft and smuggling.
The handover ceremony took place on Monday, May 4, 2026, at the Tin Can Island Port, where the Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, officially received the vehicles from the Customs Area Controller, Frank Onyeka.
The recovery followed months of intelligence sharing and collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after Canadian authorities traced several stolen exotic vehicles allegedly smuggled into Nigeria through international shipping routes.
According to an internal Customs document dated May 5, 2026, 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, all reportedly stolen and illegally exported before arriving in Nigeria.
Speaking after the handover, Comptroller Onyeka revealed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, was concealed inside a container transporting other automobiles and had not left Customs custody before intelligence from Canadian authorities prompted immediate action.
He explained that upon receiving the alert and shipping documentation through official channels, Customs officers quickly isolated the container, extracted the suspicious vehicle, and placed it under enforcement custody pending diplomatic verification.
“What appeared to be a routine cargo movement soon developed into an international criminal investigation. Once the intelligence reached us, we secured the consignment and placed the vehicle under enforcement watch pending confirmation from Canadian authorities,” Onyeka said.
He added that the Service deliberately withheld the final release of the vehicles until Canadian officials arrived to complete identification and recovery procedures.
According to him, the operation highlights the Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to combating international vehicle theft syndicates that exploit global shipping systems to move stolen automobiles across borders.
The Customs boss further noted that the successful recovery demonstrates the growing cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo profiling, and maritime enforcement aimed at tackling organised cross-border crimes, illicit trade, and other fraudulent activities.