…the INTERPOL NCB Abuja in collaboration with INTERPOL NCB The Hague, traced and recovered the vehicles.
LAGOS, NIGERIA – The iNews Times | The Nigeria Police Force has announced that operatives of the INTERPOL have recovered two high-end vehicles stolen from the Netherlands and illegally shipped into Nigeria.
In a statement released on Monday, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja, working in collaboration with INTERPOL NCB The Hague, traced and recovered the vehicles from different locations in Lagos and Akwa Ibom States.
“Investigations revealed that the vehicles were stolen from Amsterdam and Midden-Nederland and subsequently shipped to Nigeria through the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, arriving Apapa, Lagos, in late 2023,” Adejobi stated.
Following the recovery, the Police, through INTERPOL NCB Abuja, initiated civil forfeiture proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja. After due legal process, the Court granted a final forfeiture order in favour of the Government of the Netherlands through the vehicles’ insurance company, paving the way for their lawful repatriation.
Adejobi identified the recovered vehicles as a Toyota C-HR (2020 model) and a Toyota RAV4 (2019 model). He confirmed that both were formally handed over on Monday to representatives of the insurance company and officials of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria, marking the successful conclusion of the cross-border recovery operation.
Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Egbetokun, commended the INTERPOL Abuja team for their professionalism and seamless coordination with their Dutch counterparts.
“The successful recovery and repatriation of these vehicles reflect our firm commitment to global law enforcement cooperation and to ensuring that criminal networks involved in transnational vehicle theft are denied the proceeds of their crimes,” Egbetokun said.
He reaffirmed the Force’s resolve to strengthen intelligence-led policing and deepen international partnerships aimed at dismantling cross-border criminal syndicates.
With the latest recovery, the Nigeria Police Force continues to reinforce its position as a key player in global policing efforts against organized transnational crime.
