LAGOS CAR DEALER ALLEGES POLICE RELEASED SUSPECT, SAYS INCIDENT COST HIM N40M

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 Lekki.

Edmund, founder of Mayor and Sheiks Autos, said the suspect allegedly drove the vehicle away from his showroom in the Victoria Garden City area on Monday after pretending to be a prospective buyer.

According to the dealer, the suspect requested the vehicle’s key under the pretext of checking its engine but suddenly drove off while a staff member attended to him.

Edmund said the suspect later lost his way while attempting to escape and drove the pickup into a canal in the Ajiran area. The incident reportedly damaged the vehicle and a barricade at the entrance of VGC.

The dealer estimated the cost of repairing the damaged pickup at about N40m. He added that he also paid for repairs to the barricade, medical treatment for people injured during the incident and other expenses connected to the case.

Edmund said the matter was initially reported at the Ajah Police Division before being transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti, Yaba.

He alleged that he became concerned about recovering his losses after learning that the suspect had been released on bail. The dealer also claimed he was pressured to withdraw the case after investigators reportedly established that the suspect had a psychiatric condition.

Edmund appealed for assistance in recovering his losses, describing the incident as unprecedented in his nearly 30 years in the automobile business.

He also explained that the vehicle did not have a tracking device because it was new and had not yet been sold.

However, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, denied that the suspect was improperly released.

Adebisi said the suspect had been certified as a psychiatric patient by recognised government hospitals and competent courts. She added that Edmund submitted a letter withdrawing his complaint after the information emerged during the investigation.

According to the police spokesperson, the suspect was subsequently handed over to his mother for rehabilitation.