Billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), has formally filed a corruption petition against Farouk Ahmed, the former Managing Director of the Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The move comes after the same petition was withdrawn from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in what Dangote’s legal team described as a strategic step to accelerate prosecutorial action.
Documents submitted at the EFCC headquarters show that the petition, signed by Lead Counsel Dr. O.J. Onoja, S.A.N., alleges abuse of office and corrupt enrichment against Mr. Ahmed, urging the anti-graft agency to investigate and prosecute if evidence of wrongdoing is found. “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,” the petition reads.
Onoja further called on the EFCC, under the leadership of Chairman 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 filing also asserts that the EFCC’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.”
The petition revisits allegations first raised in December 2025, in which Dangote expressed concerns over Mr. Ahmed’s financial dealings during his tenure at the petroleum regulator. Dangote’s submission to the ICPC earlier noted that four of Mr. Ahmed’s children attended elite schools in Switzerland, resulting in what he described as “millions of dollars” in education costs. According to the petition, the schools attended included Montreux School, Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey, and La Garenne International School, where each child reportedly spent six years. Dangote estimated annual tuition, travel, and upkeep per child at $200,000, totaling approximately $5 million for secondary education alone.
In addition, the petition states that approximately $2 million was spent on tertiary education for the four children, including $210,000 for Faisal’s 2025 Harvard MBA program. Dangote’s filing contended that such expenditures raised questions about the source of funds, stressing that “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’s action reinforces his stated commitment to transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. The development marks a new phase in the high-profile case, which continues to draw public and institutional scrutiny as Nigeria’s regulatory and anti-corruption bodies engage with the allegations.
