The Nigeria Police Force has tracked down and brought back two vehicles that were stolen in Abuja and smuggled across the border to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
According to force spokesperson Ani Iniedu, a 2018 Lexus SUV and a 2025 Toyota Hilux were taken at gunpoint by a syndicate that specializes in moving stolen vehicles between Nigeria and the Sahel. The Lexus was snatched on August 3, 2025, and the Hilux on February 20, 2026.
The breakthrough came after separate requests for help from the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and the FCT Primary Health Care Board. The police then worked through INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Abuja, which coordinated with INTERPOL NCB Ouagadougou.
The joint operation led officers to both vehicles, and they have now been repatriated to Nigeria. A suspect, Issoufou Nagimou, was arrested in Burkina Faso and has been charged before the High Court there.
The recovered cars were formally handed over to representatives of the two offices that requested them. The operation also involved the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Nigerian Ambassador to Burkina Faso, and intelligence teams at NCB Ouagadougou.
Iniedu said the force remains committed to using INTERPOL partnerships to go after cross-border vehicle trafficking rings and to protect lives and property.
