A promise to sell first and pay later opened the door to a vehicle fraud case now valued at more than ₦1 billion. The Lagos State Police Command says an organised network targeted car dealers, collected high-value vehicles under false payment agreements and passed them to other buyers.
Detectives uncovered the wider operation after comparing separate complaints filed by dealers across Lagos. The investigation has led to arrests, several vehicle recoveries and a search for suspects who remain on the run.
Police Link Three Complaints to One Vehicle Fraud Network
During a press briefing on 14 July, Commissioner of Police Fatai Tijani said detectives at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, merged three separate investigations after identifying the same methods and suspects across the cases.
The police said the group approached established dealers with promises to pay after selling the vehicles or supplying them to influential people. The suspects also issued post-dated and dud cheques that banks later rejected.
In the first case, police accused a suspect identified as Muritala of collecting vehicles after claiming he would pay once he completed their sale. During questioning, he named Fatai Balogun, also known as “Eleku”, as an accomplice.
Investigators said Balogun was already facing questions over similar transactions. They linked him to 12 vehicles obtained from different dealers. Police recovered a 2010 Toyota RAV4, a 2007 Toyota Highlander and a 2017 Toyota Highlander through intelligence gathering and the AUTOREG tracking platform.
In another complaint, three dealers accused Balogun, Otunba Olamilekan Ismail and other suspects of collecting seven vehicles valued at about ₦700 million.
The suspects reportedly claimed they needed the vehicles for prominent politicians in Abuja and presented post-dated cheques as payment.
Police said Balogun admitted selling the vehicles to different buyers. Detectives recovered a 2020 Toyota Hiace bus and a 2018 Ford Edge SUV, while they continue searching for Ismail and other suspects connected to the network.
