A Lagos car dealer, Chima Edmund, has appealed for help recovering losses estimated at N40 million after a man allegedly drove a brand-new Toyota Tundra pickup from his showroom in Lekki and crashed it into a canal while attempting to escape.

Edmund, the founder of Mayor and Sheiks Autos, also accused the Lagos State Police Command of releasing the suspect on bail after the incident. However, the police rejected the allegation of improper handling, saying the man had been identified as a psychiatric patient and was handed over to his mother for rehabilitation after the dealer submitted a letter withdrawing the complaint.

According to Edmund, the incident occurred on Monday at his dealership in the Victoria Garden City (VGC) area of Lekki, where the suspect allegedly arrived at about 4pm pretending to be a prospective customer.

Speaking to PUNCH Metro, the dealer said the man asked to inspect a 2025 Toyota Tundra valued at approximately N130 million. A junior member of staff reportedly handed him the key after he said he wanted to check the vehicle’s engine.

Edmund alleged that the man placed his bag inside the pickup, started the engine and suddenly drove away while the staff member believed he was only inspecting the vehicle.

The dealer said the pickup’s doors locked automatically after the suspect engaged the gear and drove out of the premises. He added that the vehicle left the showroom through an access route requiring a supporting slab because of the difference in height between the car stand and the main road.

According to Edmund, his employee pursued the vehicle but struggled to convince people along the route that the driver was not its owner.

He alleged that the suspect drove through a residential estate in Ajah, damaged a barricade at the entrance and continued towards Chevron and Ebeano before heading to the Ajiran area.

The attempted escape reportedly ended when the driver reached a canal and could not find a way forward.

“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 told PUNCH Metro.

The incident, which attracted attention online, left the pickup badly damaged. Edmund estimated the repair bill at about N40 million, while also alleging that a barricade at the VGC entrance was damaged during the incident.

He said he paid for repairs to the barricade and incurred additional expenses relating to the treatment of people injured during the incident, as well as the suspect’s feeding, medical care and other related costs.

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

He added that two women who identified themselves as the suspect’s mother and sister visited the man during the investigation. According to the dealer, the women said they were from Agbor, Delta State.

The car dealer said he became concerned about recovering his expenses after learning that the suspect had been released on bail. He also alleged that investigators pressured him to withdraw the complaint after the man’s psychiatric condition came to light.

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

He explained that he had operated in different parts of Lagos, including Berger and FESTAC, before relocating to VGC, adding that he had dealt with numerous customers without experiencing a similar incident.

The dealer also defended his staff’s decision to allow the prospective buyer to inspect the vehicle, saying a customer’s appearance was not necessarily an indication of their purchasing power. He noted that some casually dressed customers had bought vehicles worth more than N200 million from his dealership.

On why the pickup did not have a tracking device, Edmund said it was a new vehicle that had not yet been sold. He explained that installing a tracker could require interference with the vehicle’s wiring and potentially raise questions from prospective buyers about its condition and history.

The dealer appealed for assistance in recovering the financial losses he said resulted from the incident.

However, the Lagos State Police Command disputed his account of how the case was concluded.

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.

Adebisi said the information emerged during the investigation and prompted Edmund to submit a letter withdrawing his complaint. She added that the suspect was subsequently handed over to his mother for rehabilitation.

The police spokesperson said the dealer was aware of the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s condition during the investigation.

PUNCH Metro, however, reported that it could not independently verify the police account because the documents requested to substantiate the alleged medical certification and withdrawal of the complaint were not provided.

The conflicting accounts leave questions about the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s release and the recovery of the dealer’s reported losses unresolved.