By Pius Awunah
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has recovered two high-end vehicles stolen from the Netherlands and illegally shipped into Nigeria in what has been described as a major breakthrough in the fight against transnational organised crime.
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPR0),Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP),Benjamin Hundeyin said in a statement on Monday, October 20,2025 that operatives of the International Police (INTERPOL) National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, in a coordinated operation with INTERPOL NCB at The Hague, traced and recovered the vehicles-a Toyota C-HR (2020 model) and a Toyota RAV4 (2019 model), from separate locations in Lagos and Akwa Ibom States.
He said investigations revealed that the vehicles were stolen from Amsterdam and Midden-Nederland, where they were subsequently shipped to Nigeria through the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, arriving Apapa, Lagos, in late 2023.
According to him,following the recovery, the Nigeria Police Force, through INTERPOL NCB Abuja, instituted civil forfeiture proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja,adding that 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, thus, facilitating their lawful repatriation.
The FPRO said in furtherance of the process, the Nigeria Police Force INTERPOL team on Monday, October 20, 2025, formally handed over the recovered vehicles to representatives of the insurance company and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria, marking the successful conclusion of the cross-border recovery and restitution effort.
He quoted the Inspector-General of Police(IGP), Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, as commending the operatives of INTERPOL NCB Abuja for their professionalism and the effective synergy with international partners, particularly INTERPOL NCB, The Hague.
“Egbetokun noted that the successful recovery and repatriation of the vehicles reflect the Force’s firm commitment to global law enforcement cooperation and to ensuring that criminal networks involved in cross-border vehicle theft and smuggling are denied the proceeds of their crimes”,the FPRO said.
He reiterated the NPF’s dedication to intensifying intelligence-led policing and strengthening international collaborations aimed at tackling all forms of transnational organised crime.
