Police Recover Stolen Dutch Vehicles, Repatriate Them to Netherlands

The Nigeria Police Force has recovered two high-end vehicles stolen from the Netherlands and illegally shipped into Nigeria, marking a major breakthrough in the fight against transnational organised crime.

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, on Tuesday said investigations revealed that the vehicles were stolen from Amsterdam and Midden-Nederland before being shipped through the Port of Antwerp in Belgium and arriving at Apapa Port, Lagos, in late 2023.

Following their recovery, the Nigeria Police Force, through INTERPOL NCB Abuja, instituted civil forfeiture proceedings at the Federal High Court, Abuja. Upon completion of the legal process, the court granted a final forfeiture order in favour of the Government of the Netherlands, through the vehicles’ insurance company, enabling their lawful repatriation.

Hundeyin added that the Nigeria Police INTERPOL has formally handed over the recovered vehicles to representatives of the insurance company and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria, concluding the cross-border recovery and restitution effort.