Nigeria Customs has returned seven stolen luxury vehicles traced to Canada after intercepting them at Tin Can Island Port in Lagos. The handover occurred on Monday, May 4, 2026, during a ceremony attended by the Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou, who received the vehicles from Comptroller Frank Onyeka, Customs Area Controller at the port. The recovered vehicles include 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. All were confirmed stolen in Canada and smuggled into Nigeria via international shipping networks.
The operation followed months of intelligence sharing between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. A statement issued Sunday by Customs spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada said the vehicles were flagged after Canadian authorities traced them through cargo documentation and enforcement channels. One vehicle, a Toyota Tacoma, was hidden inside a container with other cars and intercepted before it left Customs custody. Comptroller Onyeka said the consignment was placed under enforcement watch immediately after intelligence alerts, and the container was isolated upon arrival of shipping documents.
Onyeka stated that the Nigeria Customs Service delayed releasing the vehicles until Canadian officials arrived in person to verify ownership and take custody. He noted that third parties attempted to intervene on behalf of others but were rebuffed to maintain the integrity of the process. Internal Customs documents dated May 5, 2026, confirmed the identities and models of the recovered vehicles. The agency credited improved cargo intelligence systems and international cooperation for the successful interception.
Comptroller Onyeka insists on direct handover to Canadian officials to preserve integrity, yet allowed a 2026 Toyota Tundra — newer than the investigation date — to be listed as stolen. If the vehicle was manufactured after the operation began, its theft and smuggling timeline raises questions about the documentation used. Nigerians may wonder how a car from the future was both stolen and processed as evidence in a real-time interdiction. The discrepancy undermines the credibility of the official inventory presented at the ceremony.
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