• Says vehicle not in company’s asset database
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has threatened legal action against those behind the alleged unauthorised use of its corporate identity on a truck intercepted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with 2,145 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in a secret compartment.
NNPC, in a statement yesterday signed by its spokesman, Andy Odeh, however, commended the NDLEA for intercepting the 20,000-litre fuel tanker in Ondo State, while distancing itself from the vehicle, which bore markings associated with the national oil company.
The company said preliminary investigations showed that the truck, with registration number MKA 960 XC, neither belonged to NNPC nor formed part of its official fleet or that of any of its authorised dealers.
It added that the logo displayed on the vehicle was inconsistent with its current corporate branding and stressed that the truck could not be found in its asset database.
“NNPC Ltd. takes any unauthorised use of its corporate identity seriously, particularly where such use may be associated with unlawful activity. The Company remains committed to protecting the integrity of its brand and ensuring that its name, trademarks and other corporate identifiers are not misused.
“The Company is also reviewing its brand-protection and asset-monitoring protocols and will take appropriate steps, including legal action where warranted, against any unauthorised use of its corporate identity,” it stated
The national oil company said it was engaging the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) to obtain further information and establish the circumstances surrounding the use of its old branding on the vehicle.
NNPC also pledged to cooperate fully with the NDLEA and other security agencies to establish the ownership and operation of the truck as well as how its corporate markings came to be displayed on it.
It said it supported a full investigation into the incident and would provide all necessary cooperation to ensure that the facts were conclusively established.
The NDLEA had disclosed that its operatives intercepted the 20,000-litre tanker along the Akoko/Lokoja Expressway in Ondo State after the driver allegedly refused to stop when flagged down by its officers.
According to the anti-narcotics agency, the driver subsequently abandoned the vehicle at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and fled into the bush.
A search of the tanker uncovered a false compartment containing 165 bags of cannabis weighing 2,145kg, concealed alongside what the NDLEA described as a legitimate fuel cargo destined for Jos, Plateau State. The agency said the tanker had allegedly evaded arrest in previous operations.
NNPC urged members of the public and relevant authorities to verify the ownership or affiliation of vehicles claiming to belong to the company through appropriate official channels.
The company also commended the NDLEA for its vigilance and sustained campaign against illicit drug trafficking, saying it remained fully supportive of the ongoing investigation.