Sopuruchi Onwuka

Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) has stated intention to press legal action against third party logistics providers that use its brands on their vehicles without authorization.

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The company which made its statement available to Oracle Intelligence vowed to implement stricter monitoring in addition to legal action “against those who use its brand identity without authorization.”

The threat came as Dangote Group struggled to deny any connection to two fatal traffic accidents that occurred in Enugu State, lamenting that reports of the accidents misattributed the incidents to the company.

Dangote reiterated its warning to truck operators against the unauthorized use of its logo on their trucks, noting that their actions have caused serious embarrassment to the brand.

The company stated that despite previous warnings, certain truckers with no affiliation to Dangote continue to display its logo on their trucks, often for personal gain or other undisclosed motives. It noted with concern that some of these vehicles have been implicated in incidents that were wrongly attributed to the company.

To that end, Dangote has pledged to intensify monitoring efforts in collaboration with relevant security agencies and law enforcement, and to pursue legal proceedings against offenders.

“We have repeatedly cautioned truckers to refrain from using our logo on unauthorized vehicles. Moving forward, we will increase vigilance and take decisive legal action against misuse of our brand identity, particularly concerning vehicles unaffiliated with the Dangote Group,” the company emphasized.

Dangote also expressed alarm over the proliferation of misinformation targeting the company, particularly the unfounded attribution of road accidents to its fleet. The company urged the public and media to verify facts before dissemination and warned against falling prey to individuals seeking to exploit tragedies for malicious or financial purposes.

The Dangote Group operates one of the largest commercial fleets in Africa, with over 12,000 trucks in Nigeria alone, including over 3,000 owned by third-party contractors. On any given day, more than 6,000 vehicles are actively engaged in operations that support the company’s extensive logistics network, generating over 36,000 direct and indirect jobs.

“We maintain close cooperation with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other regulatory bodies to standardise, monitor, train, and enhance our operational practices. Continuous internal audits enable us to identify gaps, adopt global best practices, and strengthen compliance across our fleet,” the company added.

The company, which has marked up considerable blames for road accidents in the country’s highways, clarified in the statement that the trucks involved in the two separate crashes do not belong its fleet and are not operated by any of its subsidiaries.

In claiming that the Enugu State Police Command confirming that the vehicles were owned by two unrelated logistics firms, Dangote stated that police reports showed that the first incident involved a Howo truck transporting bags of white cement from Aba in Abia State to Abuja when it collided with a Toyota Corolla.

“The car had reportedly been overtaking another truck when the crash occurred. A Foton bus and a Daihatsu Hijet minibus, both allegedly driving against traffic, were also involved in the collision. The impact led to a fire that engulfed the truck and the Corolla, killing all five occupants of the car. A passenger in the minibus also died.

In a second crash on the same day and route, Dangote narrate in the statement, a Sinotruck also laden with cement and reportedly driving against traffic from Garriki in Enugu to Nenwe in Aninri Local Government Area of the state collided with a tricycle.

Four passengers of the tricycle who were rushed to a nearby hospital after the crash were later pronounced dead.

“We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the victims of these tragic incidents and their families,” the Dangote Group said in its statement.

The company also expressed concern over the “increasing spread of misinformation falsely attributing such incidents to the Dangote Group without substantiated evidence.”

It urged both the public and media outlets to verify claims before dissemination and emphasized its commitment to road safety. The company restated that it has “repeatedly cautioned truckers to desist from using its logo on their vehicles.”