Chairman of the Dangote Group, Dr. Aliko Dangote, has formally petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations of corruption involving the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed.
The petition, submitted on Tuesday by Dangote’s legal team led by Dr. Ogwu James Onoja, SAN, asks the anti-graft agency to investigate and prosecute Ahmed, accusing him of living far beyond what his income as a public officer could reasonably sustain.
At the centre of the complaint are claims that Ahmed paid more than $7 million in tuition fees for four of his children enrolled in schools in Switzerland, with payments reportedly made in advance for up to six years. Dangote’s petition allegedly included the names of the children and the schools they attend as part of the materials submitted to the ICPC.
Dangote argued that Ahmed’s financial profile raises serious red flags, stressing that the NMDPRA boss has spent his entire career in public service and could not have lawfully earned enough to fund such expenses. He further alleged that public funds were diverted through the regulatory authority to cover these costs, describing the action as a misuse of money meant to benefit Nigerians.
In the petition, Dangote maintained that the alleged conduct amounts to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment, and embezzlement, offences which he said fall squarely within the investigative and prosecutorial powers of the ICPC under Section 19 of its enabling law. He added that a conviction for such offences carries a possible five-year prison sentence without the option of a fine.
Calling for decisive action, Dangote urged the commission to uphold its mandate to combat corruption and protect the integrity of public administration. He also expressed readiness to personally appear before the ICPC to provide evidence in support of his claims, while linking the matter to the broader need for transparency and accountability under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
However, the allegations have been strongly disputed by a group of legal practitioners. A coalition of 40 lawyers operating under the name Lawyers in Defence of Democracy and Anti-Corruption dismissed the claims against Ahmed, describing them as frivolous, baseless, and unsupported.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the lawyers warned against what they termed a media-driven trial, arguing that branding the NMDPRA chief as corrupt without due process undermines the rule of law, democratic norms, and investor confidence in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
The group’s position was conveyed in a statement jointly addressed and signed by its National Coordinator, Barrister Emeka Okafor, and its Secretary, Barrister Mohammed Bello, on behalf of the 40-member coalition.
