Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have dismantled an interstate car theft syndicate and arrested several suspects allegedly behind the theft and resale of more than 160 vehicles since 2014.
The arrests were made by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad following a months-long intelligence operation across the FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Benue, Kogi and Plateau states. Officials say the syndicate specialized in snatching vehicles, then moving them to scrap markets where they were stripped and resold as spare parts to erase identification.
NSCDC Commandant General Ahmed Audi ordered the crackdown after a rise in car snatchings on interstate routes. Five shops at Zuba Scrap Market in Abuja have been sealed as part of the probe.
Commander Apollo Dandaura of the CG’SIS said the network operated like a supply chain, with thieves, middlemen, scrap dealers and buyers working across state lines. Operatives recovered a dismantled Toyota Camry allegedly sold for ₦1.15 million.
“We’ve uncovered a coordinated system for stealing, dismantling and laundering these vehicles through cash and PoS transactions,” Dandaura said. “The Commandant General has directed that every member of this network be tracked and prosecuted.”
Investigators say the breakthrough came after the arrest of Abdulsalam Isa at Zuba Bridge while allegedly collecting another stolen vehicle. Isa reportedly told interrogators he acted as a courier for a fleeing suspect, Ismail Haruna alias “Malam na TK”, and had received stolen cars at Sauka Bridge, Airport Bridge and Zuba Bridge. Financial records allegedly show regular payments between Isa and Haruna.
One of the alleged ringleaders, Hassan Bukar, was arrested in Keffi on April 3, 2026, with a stolen Toyota Corolla. He allegedly confessed to trafficking more than 160 vehicles and named other buyers, including a suspect known as Dangwari, to whom he sold a Corolla for ₦900,000.
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Other suspects in custody include Adam Musa alias “Yellow”, accused of reselling stolen Honda Civics, RAV4s, Camrys and Siennas for two years; Adamu Mohammed, said to run a workshop that disposed of cars without paperwork; and Sahal Aliyu Abdullahi, accused of buying and dismantling stolen vehicles.
NSCDC spokesperson Afolabi Babawale said the suspects face charges of criminal conspiracy, theft, receiving stolen property and concealment under the Penal Code. Several other members of the network remain at large.
Security analysts say the case shows how scrap markets and illegal spare parts dealers have become key outlets for stolen vehicles. The NSCDC says efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects and recover more vehicles.
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