₦130m Toyota Tundra Wrecked: Lagos Dealer Questions Police Over Suspect’s Release

A Lagos automobile dealer, Chima Edmund, has accused the Lagos State Police Command of releasing a man allegedly caught after driving away with a ₦130 million Toyota Tundra from his showroom and crashing it into a canal, leaving him with an estimated ₦40 million repair bill.

Edmund, founder of Mayor and Sheiks Autos, said the incident occurred on Monday at his dealership in Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lekki, when the suspect allegedly posed as a prospective buyer before driving away with the 2025 Toyota Tundra without authorisation.

The vehicle was later damaged after the suspect reportedly drove it into a canal in the Ajiran area while attempting to escape. The dealer said the incident also resulted in damage to a barricade and additional expenses, including medical treatment and other costs associated with the aftermath.

However, the police have denied allegations of an improper release, saying the suspect had been certified as a psychiatric patient and was handed over to his mother for rehabilitation after Edmund submitted a letter withdrawing his complaint.

The conflicting accounts have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s release and the financial burden the dealer says he has been left to bear.

Edmund told PUNCH Metro that the suspect arrived at his showroom at about 4pm on Monday, carrying a bag and expressing interest in inspecting the 2025 Toyota Tundra.

According to the dealer, a junior member of staff attended to the man, who requested the vehicle’s key under the pretext of checking its engine.

The employee reportedly allowed him to start the engine, believing he intended to inspect the pickup. However, the suspect allegedly engaged the gear and drove out of the showroom.

Edmund said the man’s decision to place his bag inside the vehicle before starting the engine made his actions appear consistent with those of a genuine prospective customer.

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He explained that the pickup was parked on a raised platform at the dealership and that driving it out required navigating an exit with a supporting slab because of the difference in elevation between the car stand and the main road.

According to him, the vehicle’s doors locked automatically when the suspect engaged the gear, after which he drove towards the VGC Bridge.

The dealer said his employee immediately pursued the pickup but struggled to convince people along the route that the person driving it was not its rightful owner.

Edmund alleged that the suspect continued through a residential estate in Ajah, damaged a barricade at the entrance and proceeded towards Chevron and Ebeano before heading to Ajiran.

The suspect reportedly reached a dead end in Ajiran and, unable to continue, drove the pickup over a canal, causing it to land in the water.

Edmund said some young men at the scene subsequently pulled the suspect out of the canal.

Beyond the damage to the ₦130 million Toyota Tundra, the dealer said a barricade at the VGC entrance was also damaged during the incident.

He added that he incurred other expenses, including the cost of repairing the barricade, medical treatment for people injured during the incident, and the suspect’s feeding and related needs.

The dealer disclosed that he personally paid for the suspect’s medical treatment following the crash. He explained that the man was not held in a police cell because of the injuries he had sustained.

Case Transferred to Panti as Dealer Raises Concerns

Edmund said the incident was initially reported at the Ajah Police Division before the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, for further investigation.

He said two women who identified themselves as the suspect’s mother and sister later visited him, adding that they told him 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 further alleged that he was pressured to withdraw his complaint after investigators established that the suspect had a psychiatric condition.

Edmund questioned why he should bear the financial consequences of the incident despite reporting the alleged offence to the police and paying some of the expenses arising from it.

He said the development had left him uncertain about how to recover the money spent on the damaged pickup and other costs.

The dealer appealed for assistance in recovering his losses, particularly the estimated ₦40 million needed to repair the Toyota Tundra.

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He also expressed concern about the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s release, saying the financial burden remained a major issue for his business.

Police Defend Decision to Hand Suspect to Mother

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, rejected the allegation that the suspect had been improperly released.

Adebisi said the suspect had been certified as a psychiatric patient by recognised government hospitals and competent courts.

According to her, the information emerged during the investigation and was known to the complainant, who subsequently submitted a letter withdrawing his complaint.

“The suspect is a psychiatric case, certified by recognised government hospitals and competent courts,” the police spokesperson said in a WhatsApp message.

She added that the complainant’s decision to withdraw the case led to the suspect being handed over to his mother for rehabilitation.

However, the police spokesperson did not provide the documents requested by the correspondent to substantiate the alleged medical certification or the withdrawal of the complaint.

As a result, the claims concerning the suspect’s medical certification and the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of the complaint could not be independently verified.

The police response provides a different account of the development from Edmund’s concerns about the suspect’s release and his ability to recover the money spent following the incident.

Dealer Says Incident Is Unprecedented in Nearly 30 Years

Edmund, who said he had been in the automobile business since 1996, described the incident as unprecedented in his nearly three decades of trading in vehicles.

He said he had operated in different parts of Lagos, including Berger and FESTAC, before relocating to VGC, adding that he had never experienced a similar incident despite dealing with numerous customers over the years.

The dealer noted that it was difficult to determine whether a prospective buyer had criminal intentions simply by examining their appearance or dressing.

According to him, some customers who dressed casually had purchased vehicles worth more than ₦200 million from his dealership, making it unreliable to judge a buyer’s intentions by outward appearance.

He also rejected suggestions that his staff had left the pickup entirely unattended with the suspect, maintaining that a proper test drive should involve at least two people accompanying a prospective buyer.

On why the vehicle did not have a tracking device, Edmund explained that it was a new pickup that had not yet been sold.

He said installing a tracker before a vehicle was purchased could require interference with its wiring system, potentially raising concerns among prospective buyers about whether the vehicle was Nigerian-used.

Edmund further disclosed that the pickup had a fuel tank capacity of approximately 130 litres, although its fuel gauge was already on red when the suspect allegedly drove it away. He estimated that about 30 litres of fuel remained in the tank.

The incident has highlighted the risks automobile dealers face when allowing prospective buyers to inspect expensive vehicles, particularly when a test drive or engine inspection takes place before a sale is concluded.

For Edmund, the immediate challenge remains the estimated ₦40 million repair bill, alongside other expenses he said he incurred after the crash.

While the police maintain that the suspect was handed over to his mother following the withdrawal of the complaint, the dealer’s concerns over his losses and the circumstances surrounding the release remain unresolved in the accounts provided.