By Ayomide Otitoju
Chairman of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote, has filed a formal corruption petition against the immediate past 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) in Abuja.
The petition, submitted through Dangote’s legal team, followed the withdrawal of an earlier complaint filed with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), a move described as strategic and aimed at fast-tracking prosecution.
Signed by lead counsel, O.J. Onoja, SAN, the petition urged the EFCC to investigate allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment levelled against Ahmed and to prosecute him if found culpable.
According to the petition, the EFCC is strategically positioned, alongside other anti-graft agencies, to investigate and prosecute financial crimes and corruption-related offences, citing judicial precedents including Lawan v. F.R.N (2024) and Shema v. F.R.N (2018).
Onoja further called on the EFCC, under the leadership of its Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, to thoroughly investigate the allegations against Ahmed and take appropriate legal action where necessary. He stressed that a swift handling of the matter would not only be expedient but would also serve as a deterrent to other public officers inclined towards corrupt practices.
Dangote had, on December 14, 2025, raised concerns over Ahmed’s financial dealings, alleging that the former regulator lived 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.
The petition listed the schools as Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey and La Garenne International School, noting that each child reportedly spent 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 approximately $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, while 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 issued on Wednesday, the commission disclosed that although it was formally notified by Dangote’s lawyers on January 5, 2026, of the withdrawal, its enabling law allows it to proceed with an investigation once it has 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 the parties is reported to have followed comments attributed to Ahmed in July 2024, in which he reportedly claimed that locally refined petroleum products, including those from the Dangote Refinery, were inferior to imported fuel.
