The Nigeria Police Force says it has recovered and repatriated two vehicles that were stolen at gunpoint in Abuja and trafficked to Burkina Faso by a cross-border vehicle trafficking syndicate operating across Nigeria and the Sahel.
Police spokesperson Ani Iniedu disclosed this in a statement on Monday, saying the operation was coordinated by the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja.
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Mr Iniedu, a chief superintendent of police, identified the vehicles to include a 2018 Lexus SUV and a 2025 Toyota Hilux. He added that the vehicles belong to the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Health Care Board.
According to him, the Lexus SUV was stolen on 3 August 2025, while the Toyota Hilux was snatched on 20 February.
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The police spokesperson said INTERPOL NCB Abuja launched an international recovery effort after receiving separate requests for assistance from the owners of the vehicles.
He explained that the operation involved collaboration between INTERPOL NCB Abuja and its counterpart in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, with support from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, as well as the Nigerian Embassy in Burkina Faso.
The police spokesperson said the vehicles were successfully traced, recovered and returned to Nigeria before being handed over to representatives of the two government offices.
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Mr Iniedu said one suspect was arrested during the operation.
“In the course of the operation, one suspect, Issoufou Nagimou, was arrested and has been charged before the High Court of Burkina Faso,” he stated.
The spokesperson reaffirmed the police’s commitment to strengthening international police cooperation through INTERPOL and dismantling transnational criminal networks involved in cross-border vehicle trafficking across the region.
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