• Denies involvement in Edo, Enugu accidents
By Obinna Uballa
Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) has renewed its warning to truck operators against the unauthorised use of its logo on vehicles not affiliated with the company, following two fatal crashes involving Dangote-branded trucks along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway on Wednesday.
The company stressed that despite repeated cautions, some truckers continue to display its logo on unauthorised vehicles, a practice that has led to serious embarrassment and wrongful attribution of accidents to the Dangote fleet.
“We have repeatedly cautioned truckers to refrain from using our logo on unauthorised vehicles. Moving forward, we will increase vigilance and take decisive legal action against the misuse of our brand identity, particularly concerning vehicles unaffiliated with the Dangote Group,” the company said in a statement on Thursday.
DIL confirmed that one of the trucks involved in the Enugu crashes, which reportedly killed several people including an entire family and a tricycle passenger, did not belong to its fleet despite bearing its logo.
The vehicle, the company explained, was owned by Visco Investment Global Limited, a third-party operator.
“We are actively engaging with the appropriate agencies to determine why the truck in question was bearing our logo, despite not being part of our fleet,” it stated, adding that measures will be tightened to prevent future misuse of its brand identity.
Dangote also denied ownership of the truck involved in a previous accident in Auchi, Edo State, which claimed the life of Ruth Otabor, younger sister of Big Brother Naija Season 7 winner, Phyna.
The company noted that although it was not responsible for the accident, it covered Ruth’s medical expenses and had arranged to fly her to India for advanced treatment before she passed away.
The conglomerate further condemned what it described as the “growing spread of misinformation,” particularly the frequent and false attribution of accidents to its operations.
It urged the public and media to verify information before dissemination and warned against individuals exploiting tragedies for malicious or financial gain.
Highlighting its operational scale, Dangote said it runs one of Africa’s largest commercial fleets, with over 12,000 trucks in Nigeria, including more than 3,000 owned by third-party contractors.
On average, over 6,000 vehicles are in active daily operations, supporting its logistics network and sustaining more than 36,000 direct and indirect jobs.
“We maintain close cooperation with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other regulatory agencies to standardise, monitor, train, and improve our operational practices. Continuous internal audits help us identify gaps, adopt global best practices, and strengthen compliance across our fleet,” the statement added.
Dangote reiterated its commitment to safety and accountability, promising to enhance monitoring systems, enforce stricter controls on brand identity use, and continue to support victims and families affected by accidents involving its contracted operations.
