The Nigeria Police Force, through the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja, has recovered and repatriated two vehicles stolen at gunpoint in Abuja and trafficked to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in a major breakthrough against a cross-border vehicle trafficking syndicate operating across Nigeria and the Sahel region.
The operation, carried out under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, led to the recovery of a 2018 Lexus SUV and a 2025 Toyota Hilux.
According to a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, the Lexus SUV was stolen on 3 August 2025, while the Toyota Hilux was snatched on 20 February 2026. Following requests for assistance from the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and, separately, the Federal Capital Territory Primary Health Care Board, INTERPOL NCB Abuja activated its cooperation channels with INTERPOL NCB Ouagadougou to trace and recover the vehicles.
The statement noted that through the coordinated efforts 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, both vehicles were successfully traced, recovered, and returned to Nigeria.
The recovered vehicles have since been formally handed over to representatives of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and the Federal Capital Territory Primary Health Care Board.
During the operation, one suspect, Issoufou Nagimou, was arrested and subsequently charged before the High Court of Burkina Faso.
The Nigeria Police Force reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening international policing through the INTERPOL platform and pledged to sustain efforts to dismantle criminal syndicates involved in cross-border vehicle trafficking as part of its mandate to protect lives and property.
Linus Aleke
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