A Lagos car dealer, Chima Edmund, has accused the state police command of releasing a man suspected of driving away a Toyota Tundra pickup worth about N130m from his showroom. The incident has left him with an estimated N40m repair bill.
Edmund, founder of Mayor and Sheiks Autos, said the suspect allegedly posed as a prospective buyer before taking the 2025 vehicle from his dealership in Victoria Garden City, Lekki, on Monday. The pickup later crashed into a canal in the Ajiran area. This case has drawn attention to the risks faced by every Lagos car dealer when dealing with high-value vehicles and new clients.
According to The PUNCH, the incident went viral on Tuesday. The dealer said the crash damaged the vehicle and a barricade. He was also left with other expenses as a result.
How the suspect allegedly drove off
Speaking with PUNCH Metro on Thursday, Edmund said the suspect arrived at his dealership around 4pm carrying a bag. He requested to inspect the pickup.
He said a junior staff member attended to the man, who asked for the vehicle’s key. This was under the pretext of checking its engine.
“On Monday, the guy came to my outlet around 4pm. He met my junior staff and came in with a bag as a customer, asked for the 2025 Toyota Tundra pickup, which costs around N130m, and demanded the key to check it. He dropped his bag inside it, and the staff watched him start the engine, thinking he only wanted to check it. But the man engaged the gear and drove off,” Edmund said.
According to the dealer, the vehicle exited the showroom through a route that required a supporting slab. This was because there is a difference in elevation between the car stand and the main road.
Edmund said the vehicle’s doors locked automatically when the suspect engaged the gear. After that, he drove towards the VGC Bridge.
He added that a staff member pursued the pickup. However, the staff member struggled to convince passers-by that the driver was not its owner.
The suspect allegedly drove through a residential estate in Ajah. He damaged a barricade at its entrance and continued towards Chevron and Ebeano. Afterwards, he headed toward Ajiran.
“On getting to Ajiran, he could not find his way again. He realised he had driven to the end of the road, and when he could not proceed, he drove over the canal until the vehicle landed in it. That was when some boys dragged him out,” Edmund said.
Dealer claims N40m loss
Edmund said the incident left the Toyota Tundra damaged and also affected a barricade at the VGC entrance. Naturally, this situation is concerning for any other Lagos car dealer observing the events.
He said he paid for the barricade repairs and incurred additional expenses. These included the treatment of people injured during the incident, as well as the suspect’s feeding and related costs.
The dealer added that he paid for the suspect’s medical treatment after the crash. According to him, the man was not kept in a cell because of the injuries he sustained.
Edmund said the case was initially reported at the Ajah Police Division. After that, investigators transferred it to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba.
He said two women who identified themselves as the suspect’s mother and sister later visited him. The women reportedly said they were from Agbor, Delta State.
The dealer said he became concerned about recovering his expenses after learning that the suspect had been released on bail. He alleged that investigators pressured him to withdraw the complaint after establishing that the suspect had a psychiatric condition.
“I am already suspecting foul play in the police dealings because I was hurried to close the case when the man was confirmed to be a psychiatric patient. Just yesterday evening, he had been released on bail.
“For somebody who caused me such heavy damage, how am I going to bear these losses alone, knowing that the culprit has been released? Somebody attempted to steal a car from my outlet. It is sad,” he said.
Edmund appealed for assistance in recovering his losses. He said preliminary estimates put the cost of repairing the pickup at about N40m.
Describing the incident as unprecedented in his automobile business, which he said he had been running since 1996. He previously operated in areas including Berger and FESTAC before relocating to VGC. For many years, the Lagos car dealer has established a reputation for trust among his clients.
The dealer said he had attended to numerous customers over the years without experiencing a similar incident. In addition, he added that a person’s appearance was not a reliable way to determine whether they were a genuine buyer. He noted that some casually dressed customers had purchased vehicles worth more than N200m.
Edmund also rejected suggestions that the pickup had been left unattended with the suspect. He maintained that a proper test drive should involve at least two people accompanying a prospective buyer. Ultimately, this event will serve as a lesson to every Lagos car dealer about improving test drive policies to protect valuable assets.
Explaining why the vehicle had no tracking device, he said it was new and had not yet been sold. He argued that installing a tracker before a sale could require interference with the wiring system. This, in turn, could raise concerns among buyers about whether the vehicle was Nigerian-used.
He added that the pickup had a fuel tank capacity of about 130 litres. However, its fuel gauge was already on red, indicating that approximately 30 litres remained when the suspect allegedly drove it away.
Police deny improper release
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, denied that officers had improperly released the suspect.
Adebisi said recognised government hospitals and competent courts had certified the suspect as a psychiatric patient. She also claimed that the dealer withdrew his complaint after the information emerged during the investigation.
“The suspect is a psychiatric case, certified by recognised government hospitals and competent courts.
“All these were well known by the complainant in the course of our investigation. This prompted him to submit a withdrawal letter, whereupon the suspect was handed over to his mother for rehabilitation,” she said in a WhatsApp message to the correspondent.
However, PUNCH Metro reported that it could not independently verify the police spokesperson’s claims. This was because she did not provide the documents requested to substantiate the alleged medical certification and withdrawal of the complaint.
The conflicting accounts leave questions about the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s release. They also raise questions concerning the dealer’s efforts to recover the costs of the damaged vehicle.
