The Nigeria Police Force INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) Abuja has successfully recovered and repatriated two vehicles—a 2018 Lexus SUV and a 2025 Toyota Hilux—that were stolen at gunpoint in Abuja and smuggled to Burkina Faso by a cross-border vehicle trafficking syndicate.
The operation, carried out under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, followed separate requests for assistance from the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Primary Health Care Board after the vehicles were stolen in August 2025 and February 2026.
According to the Nigeria Police Force, INTERPOL NCB Abuja immediately activated its international cooperation channels with INTERPOL NCB Ouagadougou, leading to the successful tracing and recovery of the vehicles in Burkina Faso.
The recovery was achieved 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 law enforcement authorities in Burkina Faso.
Both vehicles have since been repatriated to Nigeria and officially handed over to representatives of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and the FCT Primary Health Care Board.
The operation also resulted in the arrest of a suspect, Issoufou Nagimou, who has been charged before the High Court of Burkina Faso in connection with the cross-border vehicle trafficking.
The Nigeria Police Force reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening international police cooperation through the INTERPOL platform and sustaining efforts to dismantle transnational criminal syndicates involved in vehicle trafficking across West Africa.
