NNPC flags fake refinery sales scam

By Fredrick Ameh

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has issued an urgent public disclaimer, warning Nigerians against a fraudulent scheme involving the purported sale of scrap materials and equipment from its refineries.

In a statement released on Friday, April 24, 2026, the NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, clarified that the company has not authorized any bids, tenders, or approvals for the disposal of scrap metals or refinery components.

The alert comes in response to reports of impostors posing as company agents to solicit funds from unsuspecting buyers under the guise of facilitating these sales.

The NNPC emphasized that any legitimate disposal of national assets follows a transparent, regulatory-compliant process that is always announced through its official, verified channels.

This scam surfaces at a particularly sensitive time for Nigeria’s downstream sector.

With the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries undergoing various stages of rehabilitation and “mechanical completion” tests as of early 2026, there is a heightened public and industrial interest in refinery assets.

Fraudsters are capitalising on this “rehabilitation narrative” to make the sale of supposed “decommissioned scrap” seem plausible to local and international investors.

The NNPC’s swift reaction is a mechanical necessity to protect the integrity of its asset management protocols.

Under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the disposal of state-linked assets is strictly governed by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) guidelines and the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) or the Midstream equivalent.

For the energy sector, these “impersonation scams” represent a growing cybersecurity threat that targets the supply chain; by urging the public to report these cases to law enforcement, the NNPC is attempting to “ring-fence” its reputation during a critical period of operational transition.