Police Recover Two Stolen Vehicles from Netherlands
By Baba Dan’Iya
The Nigeria Police Force has recovered two vehicles stolen from the Netherlands and illegally shipped into the country, marking a major breakthrough in the fight against transnational organised crime.
A statement posted on the verified X handle of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday said the vehicles were traced and recovered by operatives of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, in collaboration with INTERPOL NCB, The Hague.
It said the vehicles — a Toyota C-HR (2020 model) and a Toyota RAV4 (2019 model) — were recovered from separate locations in Lagos and Akwa Ibom States.
Investigations revealed that the vehicles were stolen from Amsterdam and Midden-Nederland before being shipped to Nigeria through the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, arriving Apapa, Lagos, in late 2023.
The statement said following the recovery, the Nigeria Police, through INTERPOL NCB Abuja, instituted civil forfeiture proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
It added that 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.
According to the statement, the recovered vehicles were formally handed over on Oct. 20 to representatives of the insurance company and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria.
It quoted the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, as commending the INTERPOL team for their professionalism and synergy with international partners.
Egbetokun reiterated the Force’s commitment to global law enforcement cooperation and to ensuring that criminal networks involved in cross-border vehicle theft and smuggling were denied the proceeds of their crimes.
He said the Nigeria Police Force would continue to strengthen intelligence-led policing and international collaborations to combat all forms of transnational organised crime.
