The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has submitted a petition against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Ahmed Farouk, to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
In the petition, dated and submitted on December 16 through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, SAN, Dangote called on the ICPC to arrest, investigate and prosecute the NMDPRA boss for allegedly living far beyond his legitimate means as a public servant.
The petition, which was received by the office of the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, SAN, accused Farouk of spending more than seven million dollars on the education of his four children in Switzerland, allegedly paid upfront for a six-month period, without any lawful source of income to justify such expenditure.
“That Engr Farouk Ahmed has grossly abused his office contrary to the extant provisions of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers and, in doing enmeshed himself in monumental corruption and unlawful spending of Public funds running into millions of dollars.
“That Engr Farouk Ahmed spent without evidence of lawful means of income humongous amount of money of over 7million dollars of Public funds, for the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland for a period of six years upfront,” the petition read.
Dangote, in the petition, named the four children and the Swiss schools they attend, the amount paid for each of them, to enable the ICPC to verify the claims.
He further alleged that Farouk used the instrumentality of the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain and private interests, actions which he claimed had fuelled public outrage and recent protests by various groups.
According to the oil magnate, Farouk has spent his entire adult working life in the Nigerian public sector and could not, based on his legitimate earnings over the years, have accumulated funds close to the alleged seven million dollars used to finance his children’s education abroad.
“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement are gross acts of corrupt practices for which your Commission is statutorily empowered under Section 19 of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute,” Dangote said.
He added that upon successful prosecution under the same provision of the law, the offence attracts a prison term of five years without an option of a fine.
The business mogul stated, “That Engr Farouk Ahmed has corruptly enriched himself with taxpayers’ money meant for public consumption and diverted it into private uses.
“Any Public officer who uses his office or position to gratify or confer any corrupt or unfair advantage upon himself or any relation or associate of the public officer or any other public officer shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for five(5) years without option of fine.”
Dangote also expressed confidence in the capacity of the ICPC, working alongside other anti-corruption agencies, to prosecute financial crimes and ensure that offenders are punished once a prima facie case is established.
He therefore urged the Commission to act decisively by investigating the allegations against Farouk and prosecuting him if found culpable, stressing that the matter is already in the public domain.
According to the petition, Dangote said decisive action by the ICPC would help uphold justice and protect the image of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
He also vowed to provide evidence to substantiate his allegations of corrupt enrichment, abuse of office and impunity against the NMDPRA chief.
Dangote, during a press briefing in Lagos on Sunday, made some allegations against the NMDPRA boss, where he spoke on regulatory failures and alleged corruption in the downstream petroleum sector.
He stated that the allegations, if left unanswered, would continue to undermine public trust and investor confidence.
In June 2025, similar allegations were raised against Farouk by a group of protesters in Abuja, who marched to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Code of Conduct Bureau and ICPC, demanding his immediate resignation, alleging that he had turned his office into a personal estate.
The NMDPRA, however, debunked all the allegations, describing them as an orchestrated smear campaign based on false claims against the Chief Executive Officer and his leadership.
