Chairman of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote, has filed a formal corruption petition against the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This was disclosed in a press statement issued by the Dangote Group and made available to ASHENEWS on Friday.
According to the statement, the petition was submitted through Dangote’s legal team following the withdrawal of an earlier petition filed with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The withdrawal was described as a strategic move aimed at expediting prosecution.
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The petition, signed by lead counsel, O.J. Onoja, SAN, urged the EFCC to investigate allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment against Ahmed and to prosecute him 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, citing Lawan v. F.R.N (2024) 12 NWLR (Pt. 1953) 501 and Shema v. F.R.N. (2018) 9 NWLR (Pt. 1624) 337.
Onoja further called on the EFCC, under the leadership of its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, to investigate the allegations against Ahmed and prosecute him if found wanting.
The petition stressed that a swift handling of the matter “is not only imperative and expedient but will also serve as a deterrent to other public officers with corrupt tendencies.”
Dangote had earlier, on December 14, 2025, raised concerns over Ahmed’s financial dealings, alleging that the former regulator was living far beyond his legitimate means.
He claimed that four of Ahmed’s children attended elite secondary schools in Switzerland at costs running into several millions of dollars, raising questions about the integrity of regulatory oversight in the downstream petroleum sector.
According to the petition, the schools include Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey and La Garenne International School, with the children spending up to six years in the institutions.
Dangote estimated the annual cost of tuition, travel and upkeep per child at about $200,000, bringing the total secondary education expenses to roughly $5 million. He further alleged that about $2 million was spent on the children’s tertiary education, including $210,000 for one child’s Harvard MBA programme in 2025.
“Nigerians deserve to know the source of these funds, especially when many parents in Mr Ahmed’s home state of Sokoto struggle to pay as little as ₦10,000 in school fees,” Dangote was quoted as saying.
The petition called for a comprehensive investigation to ensure accountability and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s regulatory institutions, reaffirming Dangote’s commitment to transparency in the oil and gas sector.
Meanwhile, the ICPC has said it will continue its investigation into Ahmed despite the withdrawal of Dangote’s petition.
In a statement on Wednesday, the commission said that although it was formally notified by Dangote’s lawyers on January 5, 2026, of the withdrawal, its enabling law permits it to proceed with investigations once commenced.
The ICPC said the probe would continue in the interest of transparency, accountability and the fight against corruption.
Ahmed has denied the allegations, describing them as “wild and spurious.”
The dispute between both parties is reported to have followed comments attributed to Ahmed in July 2024, in which he allegedly described locally refined petroleum products, including those from the Dangote Refinery, as inferior to imported fuel.
