The National Chairperson of the Patriotic Entrepreneurs of Liberia (PATEL) and a well-known car dealer in Liberia, Dominic Nimely, has been linked to a controversy involving a customized motorcycle owned by a man believed to be a U.S. military personnel.
Prince Ngaima, the owner of the motorcycle, stated that in 2023, he shipped a container to Liberia that included a customized motorbike intended for sale at a price of $15,000.
While searching for a customer, Ngaima was introduced to Dominic through a friend, Ceazer Woods, who was to assist him in selling the bike. According to Ngaima, after their initial business discussions, the motorcycle was taken to Nimely’s business location on the Bypass without any reported issues.
A few days later, when Ngaima contacted Nimely, he was informed that there were several offers ranging from $6,000 to $7,000. He was also assured that the bike was in good condition. Due to the low offers, Ngaima asked Nimely to return the motorcycle to Woods, but it took Nimely nearly six weeks to do so, during which he provided numerous excuses for the delay.
“I eventually called Mr. Woods to request that Nimely return the bike to Mr. Wood’s residence as soon as possible, and finally, Dominic returned the bike,” Ngaima recounted. “Upon receiving it, Mr. Woods quickly took videos and pictures of the motorbike and sent them to me as I requested.”
The U.S. military personnel expressed his frustration upon receiving the pictures and videos, noticing damage to the bike without any prior notification. Ngaima mentioned that after several meetings between both parties, with mediators present to resolve the issue over the years, Nimely allegedly failed to fulfill his part of the agreement.
“We agreed, looking toward the future, to set aside other technical issues and asked Dominic to cover the repair costs, which amounted to $3,400 and some change. We also decided to source spare parts for the bike from Ghana or the USA,” Ngaima noted.
When contacted, Nimely acknowledged that the bike was not in good condition upon its return to Ngaima, but he stated that he was out of the country during the incident. However, he clarified that their initial discussion about the bike’s repairs was framed as a gentleman’s agreement for $1,600 to $1,700, not the $3,400 that Ngaima claimed. Ngaima later called Nimely’s statement false.
Nimely stated that he attempted to pay some of the repair costs, offering $2,000, but the motorcycle owner allegedly refused to accept the payment in installments. In a voice recording obtained by our reporter, Nimely apologized to Ngaima for the delays in the transaction.
He also mentioned that the price he indicated to Ngaima for the bike was too high, as some customers were willing to pay $7,000 and $4,000, respectively. Ngaima, however, declined these offers, asserting that the bike was too valuable for such low amounts. Furthermore, Nimely alleged that, despite his absence, the military personnel had threatened his staff at gunpoint. Ngaima denied this accusation, calling it a false cover-up.
