The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has filed a petition with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Ahmed Farouk, over alleged corruption.
The petition, dated December 16, 2025, was submitted through Dangote’s lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, SAN, and received by the office of the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, SAN.
In the document, Dangote urged the anti-graft agency to arrest, investigate and prosecute the NMDPRA boss, accusing him of living far above his legitimate income as a public officer.
According to the petition, Farouk allegedly spent more than seven million dollars on the education of his four children in Switzerland, said to have been paid upfront for several years, without any lawful source of income to justify such spending.
The petition stated, “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 so, enmeshed himself in monumental corruption and unlawful spending of public funds running into millions of dollars.”
It further alleged, “That Engr Farouk Ahmed spent without evidence of lawful means of income humongous amount of money of over seven million dollars of public funds for the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland for a period of six years upfront.”
Dangote reportedly provided the names of the children, the schools they attend and the specific amounts paid, asking the ICPC to verify the details during its investigation.
He also accused Farouk of using the authority and resources of the NMDPRA to divert public funds for personal benefit, an action he said had sparked public anger and previous protests against the agency.
The billionaire businessman argued that Farouk, having spent his entire career in public service, could not have legitimately earned enough to fund such an expensive foreign education.
“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 the offence, if proven, attracts a five-year jail term without an option of fine.
The petition further read, “That Engr Farouk Ahmed has corruptly enriched himself with taxpayers’ money meant for public consumption and diverted it into private uses.”
Dangote expressed confidence in the ICPC and other anti-corruption agencies to handle the case and called for decisive action, stressing that the allegations were already in the public space.
He said a thorough investigation and prosecution, if necessary, would help protect public interest and the image of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Dangote also pledged to provide evidence to back his claims of abuse of office, corrupt enrichment and impunity against the NMDPRA chief.
Recall that in June 2025, some protesters in Abuja made similar allegations against Farouk, demanding his resignation and accusing him of turning his office into a personal estate.
However, the NMDPRA had denied all the accusations, describing them as false and part of a coordinated smear campaign against its chief executive.
