Mr Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), has formally petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and prosecute Mr Farouk Ahmed, the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), on alleged corruption and abuse of office.
The petition, submitted through Dangote’s legal representative, Dr O.J. Onoja, SAN, was lodged at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja following the withdrawal of an earlier complaint from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The withdrawal was described as a strategic decision to fast-track investigation and prosecution.
In the document, Dangote urged the anti-graft agency to probe claims that Ahmed abused his office to enrich himself and to prosecute him if found culpable. The legal team also stated that it is prepared to provide documentary and other evidence to substantiate allegations of financial misconduct and impunity.
The petition cited relevant legal authorities, noting that: “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. See Lawan v. F.R.N (2024) 12 NWLR (Pt. 1953) 501 and Shema v. F.R.N. (2018) 9 NWLR (Pt.1624) 337.”
Dr Onoja further called on the commission, under the leadership of Mr Olanipekun Olukoyede, to: “…investigate the complaint of Abuse of Office and Corruption against Engr. Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting.”
The petition added that: “The commission’s firm resolve in handling this matter with dispatch is not only imperative and expedient but will also serve as a deterrent to other public officers out there with such corrupt proneness and tendencies.”
Recall that in December, Dangote alleged that Mr Ahmed was living far beyond his legitimate means as a public officer and had incurred millions of dollars in personal expenditure abroad.
Dangote claimed that four of Ahmed’s children attended elite secondary schools in Switzerland, including Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey, and La Garenne International School. He estimated that annual tuition, travel and upkeep per child was about $200,000, bringing the total secondary education cost to approximately $5 million.
The petition also alleged further expenditure of approximately $2 million on tertiary education, including around $210,000 for the 2025 Harvard MBA program.
“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 N10,000 in school fees,” Dangote has said in his public statement.
Despite Dangote’s withdrawal of the petition from the ICPC, the anti-graft agency has stated that it will continue its investigation into the matter, saying that the process had already begun and could not be halted by the petitioner’s withdrawal.
ICPC’s spokesperson, John Odey, confirmed that the Commission had received the notice of withdrawal but insisted that its probe would “continue in line with its statutory mandate in the interest of transparency, accountability and the fight against corruption.”
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