The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted and recovered several luxury vehicles stolen from Canada and smuggled into Nigeria through the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos. Officials described the operation as a major success in the fight against international vehicle theft and smuggling networks.
The recovered vehicles, which included high-end brands such as Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Land Rover, and Toyota, were officially handed over to Canadian authorities during a ceremony held on Monday, May 4, 2026. The Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, received the vehicles from the Customs Area Controller of the Tin Can Island Command, Frank Onyeka.
According to a statement issued by the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Maiwada, the recovery followed months of intelligence sharing and collaboration between Nigerian authorities and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Canadian investigators reportedly tracked the stolen vehicles after they were illegally exported through international shipping channels before arriving in Nigeria.
Customs documents revealed that the intercepted vehicles included a 2019 Lexus RX350, a 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, a 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, a 2019 Lamborghini Huracán, a 2021 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible, a 2018 Lamborghini Aventador, and a 2026 Toyota Tundra. Speaking during the handover, Onyeka disclosed that one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, had been secretly hidden inside a container carrying other automobiles. He said what initially appeared to be a normal cargo shipment quickly turned into an international criminal investigation after intelligence alerts from Canadian authorities prompted immediate action by Customs officers.
