THE Gombe State Police Command has recovered a Toyota Highlander vehicle that was stolen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, nearly five years ago, following a routine verification exercise carried out by security and regulatory agencies in the state.
News Point Nigeria reports that the vehicle was intercepted during a vehicle verification operation conducted by operatives of the State Intelligence Department (SID) in collaboration with officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) at the Gombe State Internal Revenue Service’s vehicle licensing office.
Confirming the development in a statement issued on Saturday, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Buhari Abdullahi, said the vehicle, bearing registration number FH823PHC, was detected on June 8, 2026, during a vehicle data verification and upload exercise.
According to the police spokesman, preliminary investigations revealed that the Toyota Highlander belongs to Mrs. Cecilia A. Duru of Rumuodumaya, Port Harcourt, and had been reported stolen on September 17, 2021.
Further investigations uncovered a transnational movement of the vehicle after it was stolen.
“The investigation further revealed that the vehicle was moved to the Niger Republic in 2023 before being brought back into Nigeria through Illela Local Government Area of Sokoto State on October 17, 2025,” the statement said.
Police findings also indicated that the vehicle was subsequently sold in Kaduna State before it was taken to Gombe State for re-registration.
It was during the re-registration process and routine verification of vehicle records that officials uncovered suspicious details linked to the vehicle, leading to its interception and recovery.
The command disclosed that efforts were ongoing to trace and arrest all individuals involved in the theft, cross-border movement and eventual sale of the vehicle.
DSP Abdullahi reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to combating vehicle theft and other criminal activities through intelligence-led operations and inter-agency collaboration.
He urged members of the public to exercise caution when purchasing used vehicles and advised prospective buyers to thoroughly verify ownership documents and vehicle records before concluding any transaction.
The police spokesman added that the command would continue to deploy intelligence-driven strategies aimed at safeguarding lives and property, recovering stolen assets and ensuring that perpetrators of crime are brought to justice.
According to the command, the recovery underscores the effectiveness of coordinated verification processes and intelligence gathering in tracking stolen property and disrupting criminal networks operating across state and international borders.