Lagos Car Dealer Accuses Police of Releasing Suspect After ₦130m Toyota Tundra Crash
A Lagos automobile dealer has raised concerns over the handling of a suspected vehicle theft case after a man who drove a ₦130m Toyota Tundra pickup out of his showroom and crashed it into a canal was released on bail, leaving him facing an estimated ₦40m repair bill.
Chima Edmund, founder of Mayor and Sheiks Autos, accused the Lagos State Police Command of failing to protect his interests after the incident, which occurred at his dealership in the Victoria Garden City (VGC) area of Lekki.
The incident reportedly happened on Monday when the suspect visited the showroom, posing as a prospective customer interested in purchasing the 2025 Toyota Tundra. What began as a request to inspect the vehicle soon turned into an escape attempt that ended with the expensive pickup submerged in a canal in Ajiran.
The case attracted public attention on Tuesday after details of the incident circulated online.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro on Thursday, Edmund explained that the man arrived at about 4pm carrying a bag. A junior employee attended to him and handed over the vehicle key after he expressed interest in checking the engine.
Rather than return the pickup after inspecting it, the visitor reportedly started the engine, engaged the gear and drove away from the premises, leaving the employee scrambling to alert others.
Edmund said the dealership’s exit presented an additional challenge because a supporting slab was required to bridge the difference in elevation between the vehicle display area and the main road. Once the pickup moved off, its doors locked automatically as the driver headed towards the VGC Bridge.
The staff member pursued the vehicle but encountered difficulties stopping the escape because people along the route reportedly assumed the man behind the wheel was its rightful owner.
According to the dealer, the driver passed through a residential estate in Ajah, damaged an entrance barricade and continued towards Chevron and Ebeano before making his way to Ajiran.
His journey eventually came to an abrupt end when he reached a dead-end road. Unable to proceed, he reportedly drove over a canal, sending the Toyota Tundra into the water. Some young men at the scene subsequently pulled him out.
The crash left the pickup badly damaged and also resulted in damage to a barricade at the VGC entrance.
Edmund said the financial consequences extended beyond the vehicle itself. He claimed to have paid for repairs to the damaged barricade, medical treatment for people injured during the incident and the suspect’s treatment following the crash. He also incurred expenses relating to the man’s feeding and other associated costs.
The dealer explained that the suspect was not immediately placed in a police cell because of the injuries he sustained.
The matter was first reported at the Ajah Police Division before it was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Panti, Yaba.
While the investigation was ongoing, two women who introduced themselves as the suspect’s mother and sister visited him. Edmund said they identified themselves as being from Agbor, Delta State.
However, the dealer’s concerns reportedly intensified when he learnt that the suspect had been released on bail. He questioned how he would recover the money spent on the damaged vehicle and other expenses arising from the incident.
Edmund further claimed that investigators pressed him to discontinue the case after it emerged that the suspect had a psychiatric condition.
He expressed suspicion about the circumstances surrounding the decision, arguing that he should not be left to absorb the financial consequences of an incident in which his property was damaged.
Having worked in the automobile trade since 1996, Edmund described the experience as unlike anything he had encountered during his nearly 30 years in business.
He said he had operated in several parts of Lagos, including Berger and FESTAC, before moving to VGC, and had served numerous customers without experiencing a similar incident.
The dealer also rejected suggestions that his staff had been careless in allowing the visitor access to the pickup. He maintained that a proper test drive should involve at least two people accompanying a prospective buyer.
On the absence of a tracking device, Edmund explained that the vehicle was new and had not yet been sold. Installing a tracker before a sale, he said, could require modifications to the wiring system and raise questions among buyers about the vehicle’s history.
He added that the pickup’s fuel tank could hold approximately 130 litres, although the fuel gauge was already in the red when the man drove off, suggesting that about 30 litres remained.
Despite the dealer’s complaints, the Lagos State Police Command disputed his account of the suspect’s release.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, told PUNCH Metro that the suspect had been certified as a psychiatric patient by recognised government hospitals and competent courts.
She maintained that the complainant was aware of the medical findings during the investigation and subsequently submitted a letter withdrawing the complaint. According to her, the suspect was then handed over to his mother for rehabilitation.
The police spokesperson therefore denied that the suspect’s release amounted to improper handling of the case.
However, PUNCH Metro reported that it could not independently verify the police account because Adebisi did not provide the documents requested to support the claimed medical certification and withdrawal of the complaint.
With the dealer estimating the cost of repairing the Toyota Tundra at ₦40m, questions remain over the circumstances of the suspect’s release, the withdrawal of the complaint and how Edmund will recover the losses he says he incurred.
