Alleged corruption: Dangote petitions ICPC against NMDPRA boss

The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related offences Commission (ICPC) against Ahmed Farouk, Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The petition, dated Dec 16, was received by the office of Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, the Chairman Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday in Abuja.

Dangote in the petition submitted on Tuesday through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, SAN, called on the ICPC to arrest, investigate and prosecute the NMDPRA boss for allegedly living far beyond his legitimate means as a public servant.

The oil magnate in his petition accused Farouk of spending more than seven million dollars on the education of his four children in Switzerland.

He alleged that Farouk paid upfront for a six-month period, without any lawful source of income to justify such expenditure.

Dangote, in the petition, named the four children and the Swiss schools they attend, the amount paid for each of them, to enable the ICPC to verify the claims.

He further alleged that Farouk used the instrumentality of the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain and private interests.

He claimed the actions had fuelled public outrage and recent protests by various groups.

According to him, Farouk has spent his entire adult working life in the Nigerian public sector and could not, based on his legitimate earnings over the years, have accumulated funds close to the alleged seven million dollars used to finance his children’s education abroad.

“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement are gross acts of corrupt practices for which your Commission is statutorily empowered under Section 19 of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute,” Dangote said.

He added that upon successful prosecution under the same provision of the law, the offence attracts a prison term of five years without an option of a fine
Dangote, during a press briefing in Lagos on Sunday, made some allegations against the NMDPRA boss, where he spoke on regulatory failures and alleged corruption in the downstream petroleum sector.

He stated that the allegations, if left unanswered, would continue to undermine public trust and investor confidence.

In June 2025, similar allegations were raised against Farouk by a group of protesters in Abuja, who marched to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Code of Conduct Bureau and ICPC, demanding his immediate resignation, alleging that he had turned his office into a personal estate.

The NMDPRA, however, debunked all the allegations, describing them as an orchestrated smear campaign based on false claims against the Chief Executive Officer and his leadership.