…Car dealer protests suspect’s release, claims ₦40m damage to vehicle
The Lagos State Police Command has explained why it released a man accused of stealing a Toyota Tundra pickup valued at approximately ₦130 million from a car dealership in the Victoria Garden City area of Lagos, saying the suspect had been certified as a psychiatric patient.
The command said the suspect was handed over to his mother for rehabilitation after investigations revealed his psychiatric history and the complainant submitted a letter withdrawing the case.
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, disclosed this while responding to allegations by the owner of Mayor and Sheiks Autos, Chima Edmund, that the police had improperly released the suspect despite the substantial damage caused to his vehicle.
According to Adebisi, the suspect’s psychiatric condition had been certified by recognised government hospitals and competent courts, and the information was made available to the complainant during the investigation.
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“The suspect is a psychiatric case, certified by recognised government hospitals and competent courts,” she said.
“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.”
The police spokesperson dismissed suggestions that the suspect was improperly released, insisting that the decision followed the findings of the investigation and the complainant’s withdrawal of the matter.
However, the police did not provide copies of the medical certifications, court records or withdrawal letter when requested by PUNCH Metro, making it impossible for the newspaper to independently verify those claims.
The controversy followed an incident on Monday when the suspect allegedly posed as a prospective buyer at Edmund’s showroom before driving away in a 2025 Toyota Tundra pickup.
Edmund said the man arrived at the dealership around 4pm, carrying a bag, and requested to inspect the vehicle.
According to the dealer, a junior employee handed over the key after the prospective buyer indicated that he wanted to check the engine.
The suspect allegedly started the vehicle, engaged the gear and drove away before the employee could stop him.
“He asked for the 2025 Toyota Tundra pickup, which costs around ₦130m, 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 narrated.
The suspect reportedly drove through several locations in the Lekki and Ajah axis, damaging a barricade at a residential estate before eventually crashing the pickup into a canal in the Ajiran area.
Edmund said the man apparently became trapped at the end of a road and attempted to drive across the canal before the vehicle plunged into it.
The incident attracted public attention after footage circulated on social media, showing the damaged pickup following the attempted escape.
The dealer estimated that repairing the vehicle would cost approximately ₦40 million, excluding other expenses incurred following the incident.
He said he had also paid for repairs to damaged property and medical treatment for people injured during the incident, including the suspect.
According to Edmund, the case was initially reported at the Ajah Police Division before being transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba.
He said two women who identified themselves as the suspect’s mother and sister subsequently visited the police station and disclosed that the man had a psychiatric condition.
The dealer, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the matter, alleging that he was pressured to withdraw the complaint after investigators established the suspect’s medical history.
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“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,” Edmund alleged.
He questioned how he would recover the substantial financial losses arising from the incident, particularly the estimated ₦40 million required to repair the vehicle.
“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, who said he had been in the automobile business since 1996, described the incident as unprecedented in his nearly three decades of selling vehicles.
He maintained that the suspect’s reported psychiatric condition did not resolve the financial consequences of the incident and appealed for assistance in recovering his losses.
While the police insist that the suspect was released following the complainant’s withdrawal letter and confirmation of his psychiatric history, the dealer’s account raises questions about the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal and the possibility of compensation for the damage allegedly caused.
