Mayor and Sheiks Autos founder Chima Edmund alleges that a man who allegedly drove away a ₦130m pickup from his VGC showroom and crashed it into a canal was released on bail. Police say the suspect was handed over to his mother after a psychiatric condition was established.

A Lagos-based car dealer, Chima Edmund, has accused the Lagos State Police Command of releasing a man suspected of attempting to steal a luxury pickup truck from his showroom, leaving him to grapple with an estimated ₦40m repair bill.

Edmund, the founder of Mayor and Sheiks Autos, said the suspect allegedly drove away a 2025 Toyota Tundra worth approximately ₦130m from his dealership in the Victoria Garden City (VGC) area of Lekki, Lagos State, before crashing it into a canal in Ajiran while attempting to escape.

The incident, which went viral on Tuesday, has sparked concerns over the damage to the expensive vehicle and the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s release.

Speaking on Thursday, Edmund said the incident happened on Monday when the suspect arrived at his showroom at about 4pm, posing as a prospective buyer.

According to the dealer, the man asked to inspect the Toyota Tundra and requested its key from a junior staff member, claiming he wanted to check the engine.

Edmund said his employee allowed him to start the vehicle, unaware that he allegedly intended to drive it away.

ALSO READ: Man Allegedly Steals Toyota Tundra During Test Drive, Injures Several in Lagos 
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“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 ₦130m, and demanded the key to check it,” he said.

“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 explained that the vehicle exited the dealership through a route requiring 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 once the suspect engaged the gear, as the man drove towards the VGC Bridge.

The dealer added that his staff member pursued the pickup but struggled to convince passers-by that the person driving it was not the vehicle’s owner.

According to him, the suspect drove through a residential estate in Ajah, allegedly damaged a barricade at its entrance and continued towards Chevron and Ebeano before heading to Ajiran.

The escape attempt reportedly ended when the suspect reached a dead end near a canal.

“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,” Edmund said.

Dealer counts losses after crash

Beyond the damage to the Toyota Tundra, Edmund said the incident left him with additional expenses, including repairs to a damaged barricade at the VGC entrance and medical treatment for people injured during the incident.

He also claimed to have paid for the suspect’s medical treatment following the crash, as well as his feeding and other related expenses.

Edmund said the suspect was not detained in a police cell because of the injuries he sustained.

He explained that the matter was initially reported at the Ajah Police Division before being transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba.

During the investigation, two women who identified themselves as the suspect’s mother and sister reportedly visited him. The dealer said they claimed to be from Agbor, Delta State.

However, Edmund said he became increasingly concerned about recovering his losses after learning that the suspect had been released on bail.

He alleged that he was pressured to withdraw the complaint after investigators discovered 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,” he said.

“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.”

The dealer appealed for assistance in recovering from the financial setback, saying preliminary estimates put the cost of repairing the damaged pickup at approximately ₦40m.

Dealer recounts nearly 30 years in business

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

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 dealing with numerous customers over the years.

According to him, a customer’s appearance is not necessarily an indication of their purchasing power or intentions.

He noted that some casually dressed customers had bought vehicles worth more than ₦200m from his dealership, making it difficult to judge prospective buyers based on their appearance.

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

Explaining why the vehicle did not have a tracking device, he said it was brand new and had not yet been sold.

He argued that installing a tracker before a vehicle is purchased could require interference with its wiring system and potentially raise concerns among prospective buyers about whether it was a Nigerian-used vehicle.

The dealer further disclosed that the pickup had a fuel tank capacity of approximately 130 litres, although its fuel gauge was already on red, indicating that about 30 litres remained when the suspect allegedly drove it away.

Police deny improper release, cite psychiatric condition

Reacting to the allegations, the Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, denied that the suspect had been improperly released.

Adebisi said the suspect had been certified as a psychiatric patient by recognised government hospitals and competent courts. She maintained that the dealer withdrew his complaint after the information emerged during the investigation.

“The suspect is a psychiatric case, certified by recognised government hospitals and competent courts,” she said in a WhatsApp message to PUNCH Metro.

“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.”

However, the police spokesperson did not provide the documents requested by the correspondent to substantiate the alleged medical certification and withdrawal of the complaint.

Consequently, the claims regarding the psychiatric certification and the circumstances of the complaint’s withdrawal could not be independently verified.

While the police maintain that the suspect was handed over to his mother for rehabilitation following the withdrawal of the complaint, Edmund says he is left facing substantial financial losses from the incident.

The controversy has raised questions about the handling of the case, the recovery of the damaged vehicle and the financial burden borne by the dealer, as both sides offer differing accounts of the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s release.