How Culture Of Car Upgrade Undermines Stolen Vehicle Recovery In Nigeria
…Nigerians Ditch New Vehicles For Converted Ones
….Car Dealers Make Over N15m Profit On Each Converted Vehicle
…It’s A Deceitful Practice—Experts
…Car Conversion Not Criminal Offence Until Reported—Police
In a country where economic hardship bites deep and the foreign exchange rate holds firm at N1,600 to a dollar, a booming trend known as “car conversion” is reshaping the pursuit of luxury, offering struggling Nigerians a shortcut to wealth through illusion.
Across major auto mechanic hubs like Kugbo, Gudu, Apo, and Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigerians are reshaping old models into newer, sleeker, more expensive-looking versions.
For many citizens, this practice offers an affordable illusion of luxury, a shortcut to social prestige without drowning in debt.
Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong sees the movement as a delicate legal tightrope.
“The practice is in the realm of private properties and cannot be stopped; it is beyond the security operatives.
“It is difficult to recover stolen vehicles when they are converted, except a complaint is filed with the police,” Effiong told THE WHISTLER.
The remark followed THE WHISTLER’s investigation into the rising trend of vehicle conversions across Nigeria, a practice that appears harmless on the surface but bubbles with potential criminal undertones.
At the heart of this booming trade is Ibrahim Isah, a seasoned panel beater at Kugbo Mechanic Village in Abuja.
He has watched the trend evolve from a cost-saving hack for the middle class into a strategic sales trick adopted by car dealers.
“It is a means to an end, to feel among the latest trends without breaking the bank,” Isah said.
For a fee, Isah and other specialists rework the exterior and sometimes the interior of ageing vehicles into glamorous modern models.
The transformation can involve anything from headlight swaps and new bumpers to redesigned dashboards and upgraded upholstery.
Most customers, he revealed, request conversions on Toyota SUVs, Lexus models, Mercedes-Benz, and Jeeps.
Isah emphasised that the requests are specific.
For instance, he converts a Toyota Prado 2010 into a 2015 model or later, and a Lexus 350 into its latest design series.
“For Toyota Prado, we start conversion from 2010 to 2015/2016, and 2016 to 2020. While Hilux 2008/2010 can be converted to 2015/2020/2022.
“This depends on the client’s preference”.
He continued, “For Lexus, it depends on the year and model. There are different 330s; some 330s look like 350s, but the engines are different, so we do not convert them. However, 350 can be converted to the latest model or year, which has been graded based on its interior and exterior appearance.
“This could also be the bumper/bonnet shape, light forms, boot shape, mirror alignment, amongst others. So, these are the things we convert in the Lexus.”
For Mercedes-Benz, the Isah team transforms the C-Class into the latest C350 or even a Maybach clone.
“For Mercedes, we started the conversion from the 2010 model. The C300 could be converted to C350, and the E300 to E350. So, all C-class are converted to their higher model, while E Class are converted to their higher model as well.
“We cannot convert a C class to an E class. Also, the E350 can be converted to a Maybach.
“Car engines are not converted, except it is faulty”.
He said the cost of conversion is dependent on the customer’s taste and budget.
“The prices are not stable. The last Prado I converted from 2010 to 2016, I spent about N2.5m for the exteriors only,” he explained.
“The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2018 model can be converted to the 70th Anniversary edition. Exterior work alone could cost N5m; the interior design adds about N2.5m.”
“And it doesn’t stop there. A G-Wagon conversion from a 2015 to a 2020 model, he recalled, went for N10.5m”.
The cost, Isah clarified, fluctuates depending on market prices and the extent of conversion, whether partial or full-body.
But beneath the shine lies a loophole for deception.
Dealers, according to Isah, now dominate the client base, converting older models and flipping them at prices of newer models to unsuspecting politicians and high-end buyers.
According to him, “Young Nigerians, desperate for status symbols”, also make up a large percentage of the clientele, as he details the duration process.
“The duration process for a car conversion would depend on what is being converted. The car must be repainted, the upholstery, and the dashboard, among others. So, a month duration is needed, but for painting, it will take a week.
“The processes are carefully carried out, except that if the seller or mechanic who worked on that car tells you it is converted, you would not be able to differentiate the difference. So, some of these vehicles are converted at the price of the upgraded version.
“There are stickers on the doors with properties of the car, so these stickers are changed to the upgraded version, also the seat belt would be changed because it has the old properties tagged to it. The papers are also changed.
“The major difference is the car’s exterior and interior features, not necessarily the engine”.
He also noted that no verification or paper trail accompanies most transactions.
“We do not ask for papers or reasons why a car should be upgraded. If issues arise and the police come to me, I would tell them I was at my workplace and a client brought a job to me, so shouldn’t I take it up?” Isah queried.
“Mostly, people who bring car upgrade jobs for me are recommended. There is a chain of distribution here; if issues arise, I would have to contact the person who recommended the clients to me.
“We do not judge by appearance. Many clients look poor but are very wealthy.”
Despite the potential for abuse, mechanics face no legal barrier — no requirement to verify ownership, file permits, or log vehicle changes unless the union directs otherwise.
“If the union asks us to request for police report before we upgrade a car, then we must obey,” he admitted. “But those permits are only required for colour changes.”
“Also, people have seen my crafts at my workshop and decided to engage me. So even if you engage the police, they cannot just come to Kugbo and pick me up; that is why we have the union.
“They either engage the tax force chairman or the Chairman himself before they will approve for the police to either take me or we settle it here.”
He recalled a late SARS officer popularly called Akpayi, notorious for frequently changing his vehicle’s colour — a suspicious activity mechanics believed concealed unlawful seizures.
Yet, no one dared question him because of his status.
“It is not my job to question my clients. If it is a criminal offence, the police should enlighten us. Until then, I am a dedicated craftsman,” Isah said.
Union’s Stand: We Are Not the Police
Solomon Olabode, Chairman of the Kugbo Automobile Technicians Association, confirmed that conversions thrive in the market, though without the sophistication found at other professional hubs in Gudu or Apo.
“At Kugbo, panel beaters handle upgrades, not as specialised outlets. But they are experienced,” Olabode told THE WHISTLER.
He disclosed that while car colour changes legally require police permits, mechanics often proceed without informing the union, leaving everyone vulnerable when police raids occur.
“If any stolen car is seen, we stand by our members, although the police have never arrested any worker here over the case of stolen cars; we are not obstructing the police from enforcing arrest, but we will support our members.
“In some cases, car owners who are familiar with them would come with a car for either conversion or colour change, due to that relationship, they wouldn’t question them.
“Except if the mechanic doubts the genuineness of the car owner, they will inform the union, and in turn inform the police, who then proceed to arrest both the car owner and the panel beater.
“But the panel beater must go to the police and write their statements, we do not entertain any form of deception here”.
Despite his position, Olabode admitted the union has no formal record-keeping system.
“We do not have a record of the number of cars that come into this market. If we try to instil it, members will think the chairman wants to consume money.”
He continued, “The problem is some of our members are stubborn. The third Thursday of every month is for sensitisation, but 95 per cent of them do not attend. Only five per cent of workers attend monthly sensitisation meetings, thereby exposing the market to risks.
“I always inform them of the risk associated with bypassing procedures, so when issues arise, I always reference their absence from the meeting. We are trying our best to inform them, but in most cases, the victims are the absentees”.
Further inquiring about the Union’s biggest challenge, he responded, workers’ negligence towards clients.
“The problem is workers’ negligence. Most of them do not do the jobs they are paid for, and some run away with clients’ money,” Olabode said, narrating a case where a mechanic sold a client’s vehicle to a scavenger for N1m.
Controversy Looms As Car Dealers Condemn Trend
Major distributors like Elizade Motors have condemned the trend.
“We do not engage in car conversion, and we also do not advise customers to upgrade or convert their vehicles to a higher model,” Musa Lessan, Sales Manager at Elizade Abuja, told THE WHISTLER.
He explained that while users may upgrade for personal reasons, car dealers who sell converted vehicles at current model prices engage in “deceitful practice.”
“We do not engage in car conversion, and we also do not advise customers to upgrade or convert their vehicles to a higher model. Although it is a personal decision for users, it is a deceitful practice for dealers.
“We are also aware of the practice in Gudu and Apo. I always discourage people from car conversion. Car upgrade is deceitful. However, if it is a personal car, there could be a waiver which could be deceitful as well.
“For instance, a person uses a 2010 model for ten years, upgrades it in 2020, then sells it at the 2020 price. When the buyer later finds out the parts do not fit, the deception becomes evident” he noted.
Lessan urged prospective buyers to verify engine and chassis numbers, particularly now that the naira’s depreciation has made new car purchases an uphill task.
“We are affiliated with Toyota Motor Japan and Toyota Nigeria. A 2024 model from us is authentic; we advise our clients to check the chassis number.
“Anyone who wants to buy a vehicle now with the current foreign exchange rate must carry out the necessary due diligence on it. Before they part with their money, they must do their findings, the chassis number, engine numbers, and we mandate that process here.
Asked if the market rush on upgraded vehicles has affected business, he responded saying, “We are not affected by the market rush on upgraded vehicles. Our vehicles are sold to organisations, government across all levels, banks, individuals, amongst others”.
“And before they part with their money, they must do their findings. At Elizade, that process is mandatory,” he stressed.
However, Alhaji Lukeman Olaboye, a dealer operating along the Kubwa Expressway, confirmed the sale of vehicle upgrades to THE WHISTLER, however, denied selling upgraded vehicles at the price of new ones.
He stated that the business thrives because government officials and contractors patronise it to save costs while showcasing what appear to be new vehicles.
He explained that Toyota SUVs remain the most sought-after models in the upgrade market.
“People upgrade to fit into the trend or announce they have arrived, fake life, you know, SUVs give prestige, and people want to feel among,” he said.
He alleged that “Some Special Advisers of the government on transport and contractors are the ones who benefit in this trade. They inspect the vehicle to confirm its durability, ask us to upgrade to the latest model, and present it to their principal.”
According to him, “Most principals don’t inspect the vehicle, but rather applaud them that they bought the vehicle cheaply, whereas it’s upgraded.
“Most governors’ convoy backup vehicles are upgraded, but the governors’ main vehicles are usually the latest model,” Olaboye added.
Olaboye further explained that clients often prefer upgraded cars because they offer luxury at a lower cost.
He emphasised that the price difference sets the vehicles apart and revealed that they offer vehicle examinations to educate buyers on the distinctions between upgraded and brand-new vehicles.
He also pointed out that most upgraded vehicles come with branding.
He continued, “It’s a criminal offence not to tell the buyer that it’s an upgraded model, so we must tell the buyers, and the prices cannot be the same.
“The buyer knows it’s upgraded. A 2020 Land Cruiser is over N100m, but a lesser model between N60m can be upgraded to the 2020 model and sold at N70m – N75m.
“They know these vehicles are upgraded, but you know, luxury on a platter is often attractive.
“With the adoption of technology, dealers now change the chassis number to the latest model. But there is a machine we (dealers) use in detecting the actual model of a vehicle.”
When asked further, Olaboye stated that upgraded vehicles do not stand the test of time, as they lack the ruggedness of new models.
“During upgrading, you change the front and back bumper and the boot, to a client’s preferred choice, and if such a vehicle is involved in an accident, the possibility of retaining its form would be slim, compared to the actual model of that vehicle. So, upgraded cars are fragile.”
Law Enforcement: In the Dark
CSP Langyi Lakur, the Divisional Police Officer of Karu Division, under which Kugbo falls, said he was unaware of the practice in his jurisdiction.
When detailed about the process by our correspondent, he responded saying, “You brought this to my attention, and now I have to find out myself”.
He acknowledged the difficulty in detecting converted stolen vehicles, terming it a “social problem.”
“If a stolen vehicle is upgraded, recovering it becomes difficult. That is a serious issue because they are misleading the people and security operatives. But a personal upgrade is not a security problem; it’s a private decision.”
“If a stolen vehicle is reported and the person has a hunch that it has been upgraded and reported to us, then we will commence actions immediately, and the culprit will be made to face the law. Which means he/she is conniving with the criminals.
“Aside from these grounds, I do not see anything wrong with a personal car upgrade.
“Everyone has a private life to live, and the police will not inquire into how people decide to live it”.
Until a complaint is lodged, Lakur said, the police have no grounds for intervention.
Legal Grey Areas
A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, argued that, for legal and ethical clarity, users must reflect all alterations with law enforcement agencies.
He said, “If a vehicle registered by a specific model/year or brand, it is problematic to just convert it, this is because the engine and chassis number will still reflect the original model as manufactured, irrespective of what is done to the interior or exterior components of the vehicle”.
“So, to avoid problems with law enforcement agencies, the user is advised to reflect the upgrade or document with the police”.
Effiong, however, labelled the practice by car dealers as a fraudulent misrepresentation.
“If someone is misrepresenting a vehicle to be of a particular model, and in truth it is not, that is a fraudulent misrepresentation.
“If someone is induced to acquire such a vehicle based on that, and reports it, the dealer could be prosecuted. he warned
Still, Effiong said the government cannot outlaw the practice entirely.
“The federal government cannot stop individuals from car conversion. Because it is in the realm of private property, the government does not interfere in such matters.
“For the government to interfere, there has to be a complaint”, he noted
How Culture Of Car Upgrade Undermines Stolen Vehicle Recovery In Nigeria is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
