The Nigeria Police Force has strengthened its campaign against transnational organised crime with the successful recovery and repatriation of two vehicles stolen in Abuja and trafficked to Burkina Faso, highlighting the growing effectiveness of international police cooperation through the INTERPOL network.
According to an official statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, the operation was carried out by the Nigeria Police Force INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, psc(+), NPM.
The statement disclosed that the recovered vehicles—a 2018 Lexus SUV and a 2025 Toyota Hilux—were snatched at gunpoint from their drivers in separate incidents in Abuja before being smuggled to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, by a syndicate involved in cross-border vehicle trafficking across Nigeria and the Sahel region.
It explained that the Lexus SUV was stolen on August 3, 2025, while the Toyota Hilux was taken on February 20, 2026.
Following requests for assistance from the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and the Federal Capital Territory Primary Health Care Board, INTERPOL NCB Abuja activated its cooperation channels with INTERPOL NCB Ouagadougou to trace and recover the stolen 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 repatriated to Nigeria.
The recovered vehicles have since been formally handed over to representatives of the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and the FCT Primary Health Care Board.
The operation also led to the arrest of one suspect, identified as Issoufou Nagimou, who has been charged before the High Court of Burkina Faso in connection with the cross-border vehicle trafficking case.
The Nigeria Police Force reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening international law enforcement collaboration through the INTERPOL platform and sustaining efforts to dismantle criminal syndicates engaged in cross-border vehicle trafficking in line with its mandate to protect lives and property.
