By Muhammad Mamman
The Nigeria Police Force has successfully recovered two vehicles stolen in the Netherlands and illegally imported into Nigeria — a 2020 Toyota C-HR and a 2019 Toyota RAV4.
According to a statement, officers from INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja, working in close coordination with INTERPOL NCB The Hague, traced and retrieved the vehicles from separate locations in Lagos and Akwa Ibom States.
Investigations revealed that the cars were stolen from Amsterdam and Midden-Nederland before being shipped through the Port of Antwerp in Belgium, arriving in Lagos in late 2023.
Following due legal process, the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a final forfeiture order in favour of the Dutch government via the vehicles’ insurance provider, enabling their rightful return to the Netherlands.
INTERPOL NCB Abuja later handed over the vehicles to representatives of the insurance firm and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria.
Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended the INTERPOL team for their professionalism and underlined the importance of international cooperation. He stated that the operation reflects the Nigeria Police Force’s strong commitment to combating transnational crime and reinforcing global law enforcement partnerships.
