Chairman of Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote, has formally petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged corruption involving the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed.
The development was disclosed in a statement released on Friday by the Dangote Group media team.
According to the statement, Dangote, through his legal representative, submitted the petition at the EFCC headquarters, asking the commission to investigate allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment against Ahmed.
The petition followed Dangote’s recent withdrawal of a similar complaint from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
The statement said the withdrawal was “a strategic decision aimed at accelerating the prosecution process.”
Dangote had earlier accused Ahmed of allegedly spending about $5 million on the secondary education of his children in Switzerland. Although the petition was withdrawn from the ICPC, the commission had said it would continue its investigation.
In the petition to the EFCC, signed by Dangote’s lead counsel, Dr O.J. Onoja, the businessman urged the anti-graft agency to probe the allegations and prosecute Ahmed if found culpable.
“We make bold to state that the commission is strategically positioned, along with sister agencies, to prosecute financial crimes and corruption-related offences, and upon establishing a prima facie case, the courts do not hesitate to punish offenders,” the petition stated.
The document cited recent court decisions to support its call for action against alleged corruption.
Onoja further appealed to the EFCC leadership to take up the matter without delay.
He urged the commission, under the leadership of its chairman, Olanipekun Olukoyede, “to investigate the complaint of abuse of office and corruption against Engr. Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting.”
As of the time of filing this report, Ahmed has not publicly responded to the allegations.
