The Nigeria Police Force has recovered a 2018 model Lexus SUV and a 2025 model Toyota Hilux that were snatched at gunpoint in Abuja and trafficked to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Force spokesman, Ani Iniedu
The Force image maker, said the cars were snatched from the drivers by a “syndicate specializing in cross-border vehicle trafficking within Nigeria and the Sahel region”.
Iniedu said the Lexus SUV was forcefully taken on August 3, 2025, and Toyota Hilux on February 20, 2026.
The force spokesperson said the police received separate requests for the recovery of the cars from special adviser to the president on energy and the office of the Federal Capital Territory Primary Health Care Board.
Iniedu said following the requests, INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) engaged with INTERPOL NCB Ouagadougou to trace and recover the vehicles.
He disclosed that Issoufou Nagimou, a suspect, was arrested in Burkina Faso.
“Through the coordinated efforts of the Office of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Nigerian Ambassador to Burkina Faso, and the intelligence counterparts at NCB Ouagadougou, both vehicles were successfully traced, recovered, and repatriated to Nigeria,” the statement reads.
“They have since been formally handed over to representatives of the Special Adviser to the President on Energy and the Office of the FCT Primary Health Care Board.
“In the course of the operation, one suspect, Issoufou Nagimou, was arrested and has been charged before the High Court of Burkina Faso.
“The Nigeria Police Force reaffirms its commitment to deepening international police cooperation through the INTERPOL platform and to relentlessly pursuing criminal syndicates involved in cross-border vehicle trafficking, in furtherance of its mandate to protect lives and property.”
