The Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ahmed Farouk, calling for his arrest, investigation and prosecution over allegations of corrupt enrichment and living far beyond his legitimate means as a public servant. The petition, submitted on December 16 through Dangote’s lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, SAN, accuses the NMDPRA boss of engaging in financial impropriety that, if proven, amounts to serious violations of Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws.
According to the petition, which was received by the office of the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, SAN, Dangote alleged that Farouk spent more than $7 million on the education of his four children in Switzerland. The expenditure, Dangote claimed, was allegedly paid upfront over several years and could not be justified by any lawful source of income available to the public official based on his career in government service.
In the petition, Dangote accused Farouk of gross abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, embezzlement, and the diversion of public funds for personal use. He alleged that the funds used to finance the foreign education of Farouk’s children were public resources unlawfully diverted through the instrumentality of the NMDPRA, actions he said had fuelled public outrage and eroded confidence in regulatory institutions.
Dangote further disclosed that the petition contained detailed information, including the names of Farouk’s four children, the Swiss schools they reportedly attend, and the specific amounts allegedly paid for each of them. He said the inclusion of these details was intended to enable the ICPC to independently verify the claims and determine whether the expenditure could be legitimately traced to lawful earnings.
In justifying his petition, Dangote argued that Farouk has spent his entire adult working life in the Nigerian public sector and, based on his legitimate earnings over the years, could not have accumulated funds anywhere near the alleged $7 million used to sponsor his children’s education abroad. He maintained that the circumstances surrounding the alleged spending raised serious red flags that warranted thorough investigation by anti-corruption authorities.
Dangote cited Section 19 of the ICPC Act, which empowers the commission to investigate and prosecute public officers accused of corrupt practices, abuse of office and illicit enrichment. He noted that offences under the provision attract a penalty of five years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine upon conviction, stressing that the allegations against Farouk fall squarely within the scope of the law.
The businessman called on the ICPC to act decisively on the petition, expressing confidence in the commission and other anti-corruption agencies to investigate financial crimes and ensure accountability where a prima facie case is established. He added that prosecuting the matter would help uphold justice and protect the image of the administration of President Bola Tinubu, while also restoring public trust in regulatory bodies.
Dangote also pledged to provide evidence to substantiate his allegations of corrupt enrichment, abuse of office and impunity against the NMDPRA chief. He said the matter was already in the public domain and that failure to address it transparently could further undermine investor confidence, particularly in the oil and gas sector.
The petition follows recent public allegations made by Dangote during a press briefing in Lagos, where he spoke about what he described as regulatory failures and alleged corruption in the downstream petroleum sector. He warned at the time that unresolved allegations against key regulators could weaken public confidence and discourage investment in the industry.
Similar allegations were raised in June 2025 by a group of protesters in Abuja, who marched to the offices of the Attorney General of the Federation, the Code of Conduct Bureau and the ICPC, demanding Farouk’s resignation over claims that he had turned his office into a personal estate. The NMDPRA has, however, consistently denied the allegations, describing them as an orchestrated smear campaign based on false claims against its chief executive and leadership.