The Nigeria Police Force has recorded a major breakthrough against transnational vehicle theft with the recovery and repatriation of two vehicles stolen in Abuja and trafficked to Burkina Faso by an international criminal syndicate operating across Nigeria and the Sahel.
The operation, carried out by the Nigeria Police Force INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, led to the recovery of a 2018 Lexus SUV and a 2025 Toyota Hilux that had been snatched at gunpoint from their owners.
Police said the Lexus SUV was stolen on August 3, 2025, while the Toyota Hilux was forcefully taken from its driver on February 20, 2026.
Following separate requests for assistance from the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and the Federal Capital Territory Primary Health Care Board, INTERPOL NCB Abuja activated its international policing network by collaborating with INTERPOL NCB Ouagadougou to trace and recover the stolen vehicles.
The cross-border operation, supported by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Nigerian Embassy in Burkina Faso and security authorities in Ouagadougou, resulted in the successful location, recovery and return of both vehicles to Nigeria.
The recovered vehicles have since been formally handed over to representatives of the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and the FCT Primary Health Care Board.
In the course of the operation, authorities arrested a suspected member of the vehicle trafficking syndicate, Issoufou Nagimou, who has been charged before the High Court of Burkina Faso.
The Nigeria Police Force described the operation as another demonstration of the effectiveness of international law enforcement collaboration in combating transnational organised crime.
The Force reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening global police cooperation through INTERPOL while intensifying efforts to dismantle criminal networks involved in cross-border vehicle trafficking and other organised crimes.
The police also pledged to sustain intelligence-driven operations aimed at protecting lives and property and bringing perpetrators of cross-border criminal activities to justice.
