Customs authorities said investigations confirmed that the vehicles were stolen in Canada before being illegally exported into Nigeria through international shipping networks.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recovered seven luxury vehicles allegedly stolen from Canada and smuggled into Nigeria through the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos.
The recovered vehicles, according to Customs documents dated May 5, 2026, include 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.
Customs authorities said investigations confirmed that the vehicles were stolen in Canada before being illegally exported into Nigeria through international shipping networks.
The agency said the recovery was achieved through intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the NCS and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as part of efforts to combat transnational organised crime and vehicle smuggling.
Speaking during the handover of the vehicles to Canada’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Command, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, said the operation began after Canadian authorities traced several stolen vehicles believed to have been shipped into Nigeria.
He disclosed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, was concealed inside a container transporting other vehicles and was intercepted before leaving Customs custody.
“What looked like a routine cargo movement quickly became an international criminal investigation. Once intelligence reached us, we placed the consignment under enforcement watch and secured the vehicle pending confirmation from Canadian authorities,” Onyeka said.
According to him, Customs officers acted immediately after receiving intelligence alerts and shipping documentation from Canada, isolating the suspicious consignment and placing it under enforcement control.
Onyeka stated that the Service refused to release the vehicles until Canadian officials arrived personally to complete the verification and recovery process.
“We had people who wanted to step in on behalf of others, but this was too sensitive. We insisted the handover must be directly to the Canadian government to preserve the integrity of the process,” he added.
The Customs controller said the operation reflects the agency’s resolve to dismantle international vehicle theft syndicates using global shipping routes to move stolen automobiles across borders.
He also described the recovery as evidence of growing cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence exchange, cargo profiling, and maritime enforcement aimed at tackling organised cross-border crimes and illicit trade.
