Police Recover Stolen Vehicle After Five Years

The Gombe State Police Command presented a recovered Toyota Highlander to its owner on Friday, five years after it was stolen. The vehicle, confirmed to belong to the owner, was recovered on June 8, 2026, by operatives of the State Intelligence Department (SID) in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

The SUV was intercepted during a routine vehicle data verification at the Gombe State Internal Revenue Service Vehicle Licensing Office, where discrepancies in its registration documents raised suspicion. Investigations revealed that the vehicle was stolen in Rivers State on September 17, 2021, and was smuggled to the Republic of Niger in 2023.

It re-entered Nigeria through the Illela border in Sokoto State in October 2025, was sold in Kaduna State, and was brought to Gombe for re-registration before its recovery. The police emphasized the importance of intelligence-led policing and inter-agency collaboration in combating vehicle theft and are working to prosecute those involved in the crime.