The Nigeria Police Force has recovered and repatriated two vehicles a 2018 Lexus SUV and a 2025 Toyota Hilux that were stolen at gunpoint in Abuja and trafficked to Burkina Faso by a cross-border vehicle trafficking syndicate.
The recovery was carried out by the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu.
According to a statement issued on Monday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, the Lexus SUV was hijacked on August 3, 2025, while the Toyota Hilux was stolen on February 20, 2026.
The police disclosed that the recovery operation followed separate requests for assistance from the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Health Care Board.
Acting on the requests, INTERPOL NCB Abuja activated its international cooperation channels with INTERPOL NCB Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, leading to the successful tracing and recovery of the vehicles.
The statement noted that the operation was made possible through the collaboration of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Nigerian Ambassador to Burkina Faso, and intelligence counterparts at INTERPOL NCB Ouagadougou.
Following their recovery, both vehicles were repatriated to Nigeria and formally handed over to representatives of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and the FCT Primary Health Care Board.
The police also revealed that one suspect, identified as Issoufou Nagimou, was arrested in connection with the crime and has been charged before the High Court of Burkina Faso.
Reaffirming its commitment to tackling transnational organised crime, the Nigeria Police Force pledged to strengthen international police cooperation through the INTERPOL platform and intensify efforts to dismantle criminal syndicates involved in cross-border vehicle trafficking across Nigeria and the Sahel region.
