The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a shipment of high-end stolen vehicles, including a Lamborghini Huracán, a Rolls-Royce Dawn, and a Mercedes-Benz G550, smuggled into the country from Canada.
The announcement was made on Sunday by the NCS National Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, in a statement issued to journalists in Abuja.
The interception followed months of intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the NCS and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), after Canadian authorities traced a number of stolen luxury vehicles believed to have been smuggled into Nigeria via international shipping channels.
According to internal Customs documents dated 5 May 2026, the full list of recovered vehicles includes:
· 2019 Lexus RX350
· 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550
· 2023 Land Rover Range Rover
· 2019 Lamborghini Huracán
· 2021 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible
· 2018 Lamborghini Aventador
· 2026 Toyota Tundra
All seven vehicles have been confirmed as stolen from Canada and illegally exported before ending up in Nigeria.
Speaking on the operation, the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, disclosed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, was initially concealed inside a container carrying other vehicles.
The consignment had not yet exited Customs control when intelligence from Canadian authorities triggered immediate intervention.
“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,” Comptroller Onyeka said.
He explained that the Service deliberately delayed the final release until officials of the Canadian government arrived in person to complete identification and recovery procedures.
“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 handover ceremony took place on Monday, 4 May 2026, at the Tin Can Island Port. The Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, officially received the recovered vehicles from Comptroller Onyeka.
Comptroller Onyeka reiterated that the operation signals the Nigeria Customs Service’s resolve in fighting transnational vehicle theft syndicates that exploit global shipping routes to move stolen automobiles across continents.
He further stated that the recovery has demonstrated ongoing cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo profiling, and maritime enforcement, particularly in tackling organised cross-border crimes involving stolen assets and illicit trade.
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