Stolen Cars from Netherlands Recovered by Nigerian Police

It’s not every day that stolen cars make their way back home, especially when “home” is across continents.But in a rare display of international police collaboration, the Nigeria Police Force has recovered two vehicles stolen from the Netherlands and smuggled into the country through Europe’s shipping routes.

                                 

According to official reports, a 2020 Toyota C-HR and a 2019 Toyota RAV4 were stolen from Amsterdam and Midden, Netherlands, before being secretly shipped out of Europe.
The stolen vehicles made their way to Nigeria through the Port of Antwerp in Belgium, arriving in Lagos by the end of 2023.

The operation was carried out by officers of the Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja, in collaboration with Interpol NCB teams in The Hague and operatives in Lagos and Akwa Ibom.
Through international database tracking and inter-agency coordination, investigators were able to pinpoint and recover the cars months after their arrival.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has now issued a final order of forfeiture, officially transferring ownership back to the Dutch government.
The ruling was delivered in favor of the Netherlands through the country’s automobile insurance company, which had been pursuing the case.

Following the decision, Interpol NCB Abuja handed over the recovered vehicles to representatives of the insurance company and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria.

Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun praised the professionalism and persistence of the Interpol team, noting that the recovery underscores Nigeria’s growing commitment to international law enforcement cooperation.

He also reiterated the Police Force’s willingness to collaborate with global security agencies in tackling transnational crimes, particularly those involving vehicle theft, smuggling, and cross-border fraud.