A Lagos-based car dealer, Chima Edmund, has accused the Lagos State Police Command of releasing a man suspected of stealing a 2025 Toyota Tundra pickup worth about ₦130 million from his showroom in the Lekki area of Lagos State.
Edmund, founder of Mayor and Sheiks Autos, said the suspect allegedly drove away with the vehicle after posing as a prospective buyer on Monday, October 12, 2026, before crashing it into a canal in the Ajiran area while attempting to escape.
The incident attracted widespread attention after a video showing the damaged vehicle and the suspect being pulled out of the canal by residents circulated online on Tuesday, October 13.
Speaking with PUNCH, Edmund said the suspect arrived at his showroom in the Victoria Garden City (VGC) area around 4 p.m., carrying a bag and asking to inspect the Toyota Tundra.
According to the dealer, a junior staff member attended to the man, who requested the vehicle’s key under the pretext of checking its engine.
Edmund said the staff member allowed him to start the engine, believing he only wanted to inspect the vehicle. However, the suspect allegedly engaged the gear and drove away.
The dealer explained that the vehicle’s doors locked automatically when the suspect engaged the gear, as he headed towards the VGC Bridge.
He said his staff member pursued the vehicle but struggled to convince passers-by that the man driving it was not the owner.
According to Edmund, the suspect allegedly drove through a residential estate in Ajah, damaged a barricade at the entrance and continued towards Chevron and Ebeano before heading to Ajiran.
He said the suspect eventually reached a dead end and drove over a canal, causing the vehicle to land in it. Residents subsequently pulled him out.
Edmund estimated the cost of repairing the damaged pickup at approximately ₦40 million. He also alleged that the suspect damaged a barricade at the VGC entrance during the escape.
The car dealer further claimed that he paid for repairs to the barricade, medical treatment for people injured during the incident and the suspect’s treatment following the crash. He said he also incurred expenses for the suspect’s feeding and other related costs.
Edmund disclosed that the case was initially reported at the Ajah Police Division before being transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba.
He said two women who identified themselves as the suspect’s mother and sister later visited him, claiming 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.
Edmund also alleged that investigators pressured him to withdraw the complaint after the suspect was reportedly identified as having a psychiatric condition.
Expressing his frustration, he questioned why he should bear the financial losses alone after the alleged theft and subsequent damage to the vehicle.
However, the Lagos State Police Command disputed his account of how the matter was resolved.
The police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, told PUNCH that the suspect had been certified as a psychiatric patient by recognised government hospitals and competent courts.
According to Adebisi, the complainant was informed of the findings during the investigation and subsequently submitted a letter withdrawing his complaint.
She said the suspect was then handed over to his mother for rehabilitation.
However, the publication reported that the police spokesperson did not provide documents requested by its correspondent to substantiate the alleged medical certification and withdrawal of the complaint.
The conflicting accounts have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s release and the financial losses reportedly suffered by the car dealer.
The allegations made by both parties have not been independently verified.
