The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has distanced itself from a fuel tanker intercepted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with 2,145 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in a compartment in Ondo State.
The tanker, with registration number MKA 960 XC, was intercepted along the Akoko-Lokoja Expressway on September 4, 2026. According to the NDLEA, the driver allegedly refused to stop when flagged down, abandoned the vehicle at a church premises in Ugbe Akoko and fled into a nearby bush. A search subsequently uncovered 165 bags containing the cannabis alongside legitimate fuel cargo reportedly destined for Jos, Plateau State.
Reacting to reports linking the vehicle to NNPCL, the company said preliminary checks showed that the tanker was neither owned by it nor part of its official fleet or that of any authorised dealer.
NNPCL Chief Corporate Communications Officer Andy Odeh said the logo displayed on the vehicle was also inconsistent with the company’s current branding, while the tanker was absent from its asset database.
The company said it was engaging the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) to determine how its old branding came to be displayed on the vehicle. NNPCL also warned that it takes unauthorised use of its corporate identity seriously, particularly when its brand could be associated with unlawful activities.
“NNPC Ltd. takes any unauthorised use of its corporate identity seriously,” the company said, adding that it would cooperate fully with the NDLEA and other relevant security agencies.
The development is significant because the use of a petroleum-sector brand on a vehicle allegedly transporting a large quantity of cannabis raises concerns about the misuse of corporate identities to facilitate illicit activities.
The seizure formed part of a wider NDLEA operation across several states, with the agency reporting multiple recoveries of cannabis and other controlled substances.
The investigation is expected to establish who owned and operated the tanker, how it acquired the branding and who was behind the alleged drug consignment.
