POLICE FREED SUSPECT, LEFT ME WITH N40M LOSSES – LAGOS CAR DEALER

A Lagos car dealer, Chima Edmund, has accused the Lagos State Police Command of releasing a man suspected of attempting to steal a 2025 Toyota Tundra pickup worth about N130m from his showroom in the Victoria Garden City area of Lekki, Lagos State.

The Lagos car dealer N40m losses police freed suspect complaint has left him questioning how he is expected to bear the financial burden alone while the suspect walks free.

THE INCIDENT

Edmund, founder of Mayor and Sheiks Autos, said the suspect allegedly drove the vehicle away from his showroom on Monday after posing as a prospective buyer but crashed it into a canal in the Ajiran area while attempting to escape .

The incident went viral on Tuesday, with the dealer estimating the cost of repairing the damaged vehicle at about N40m.

Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Metro on Thursday, Edmund said the suspect arrived at the dealership around 4pm carrying a bag and asked to inspect the pickup.

He said a junior staff member attended to the man, who requested the key to the unsold vehicle 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.

He 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 .

THE ESCAPE

According to him, the vehicle exited the dealership through a route that required a supporting slab because of the difference in elevation between the car stand and the main road.

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

Edmund said his staff member pursued the vehicle but struggled to convince passers-by that the man behind the wheel was not the owner.

He alleged that the suspect drove through a residential estate in Ajah, damaged a barricade at the entrance and continued towards Chevron and Ebeano before heading to 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,” the dealer said.

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THE FINANCIAL BURDEN

Edmund said the escape attempt damaged the pickup and a barricade at the VGC entrance.

He added that he paid for repairs to the barricade and incurred expenses on the treatment of people injured during the incident, as well as the suspect’s feeding and other related costs.

The dealer said he also paid for the suspect’s medical treatment following the crash, adding that the man was not kept in a cell because of the injuries he sustained.

THE RELEASE

According to Edmund, the case was initially reported at the Ajah Police Division before being transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, where two women who identified themselves as the suspect’s mother and sister visited him.

He said the women claimed to be from Agbor, Delta State, adding that he became concerned about recovering his expenses after learning that the suspect had been released on bail.

Edmund alleged that he was pressured to withdraw the case after investigators established 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.

THE POLICE RESPONSE

The Lagos State Police Command has denied wrongdoing in the suspect’s release.

Police spokesperson SP Abimbola Adebisi said the release followed no wrongdoing. She said the suspect had been certified as a psychiatric patient by recognised government hospitals and competent courts, and that Edmund knew this during the investigation.

According to her, that led him to submit a withdrawal letter, after which the suspect was handed to his mother for rehabilitation.

THE DEALER’S PLEA

Edmund appealed for assistance in recovering from the financial losses, saying preliminary estimates put the cost of repairing the damaged Toyota Tundra at about N40m.

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

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 attending to numerous customers over the years.

He said it was difficult to identify suspicious customers by their appearance, noting that some casually dressed clients had purchased vehicles worth more than N200m from his dealership.

Edmund also dismissed suggestions that the vehicle had been left unattended with the suspect, insisting that a proper test drive should involve at least two people accompanying a prospective buyer.

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

According to him, installing a tracker before a vehicle is purchased could require interference with its wiring system and raise concerns among prospective buyers about whether it was a Nigerian-used vehicle.

WHY IT MATTERS

The case highlights the vulnerability of businesses to individuals who exploit legal protections, and the difficulty of recovering losses when suspects are released on psychiatric grounds.

For Edmund, the financial burden is immediate: a N130m vehicle damaged beyond easy repair, N40m in estimated repair costs, and no clear path to compensation.

The questions remain: Who bears the cost when a suspect is deemed unfit to stand trial? And what recourse does a business owner have when the justice system releases the person who caused the damage?

ValidViewNetwork reports that the suspect has been released. Edmund is appealing for help to recover his losses.