The Chairman of Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote, has escalated his corruption allegations against the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, by filing a formal petition with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission at its headquarters in Abuja.
The development, confirmed in a statement issued by the Dangote Group media team on Friday, marks a significant shift in the billionaire industrialist’s legal strategy against Ahmed, following his recent withdrawal of a similar petition from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
According to the statement, Dangote’s decision to transfer the matter to the EFCC was “a strategic decision aimed at accelerating the prosecution process,” suggesting dissatisfaction with the pace of investigation at the ICPC or a calculated move to leverage the EFCC’s reputation for swift prosecution of high-profile financial crimes.
The businessman had initially petitioned the ICPC to investigate Ahmed for allegedly spending $5 million on his children’s secondary education in Switzerland, a claim that raised serious questions about the source of such substantial funds given the former regulator’s public service salary structure. Despite Dangote’s withdrawal of that petition just days ago, the ICPC announced its intention to continue with the investigation, indicating that the anti-corruption agency viewed the allegations as sufficiently serious to warrant inquiry regardless of the complainant’s position.
The fresh petition to the EFCC, signed by Dangote’s Lead Counsel, Dr O.J. Onoja, urged the commission to investigate allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment against Ahmed and to prosecute him if evidence of culpability is established. The legal document reportedly contains detailed allegations of financial misconduct and impunity during Ahmed’s tenure at the NMDPRA, the regulatory body responsible for overseeing Nigeria’s downstream and midstream petroleum operations.
“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 stated, citing judicial precedents to underscore the legal basis for the complaint and the expected course of action.
Dr Onoja, in the petition, specifically called on the EFCC under the leadership of its Chairman, Mr 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 statement further indicated that Dangote is prepared to provide substantive evidence to support his allegations of financial misconduct and abuse of authority against the former NMDPRA chief. The nature and extent of this evidence have not been publicly disclosed, but the willingness to submit such materials to the EFCC suggests confidence in the strength of the case being presented.
The escalating legal confrontation between Dangote and Ahmed comes against the backdrop of broader tensions within Nigeria’s petroleum sector, particularly concerning the operations of the Dangote Refinery and its relationship with regulatory authorities. The 650,000 barrels-per-day facility, located in Lagos, has been at the centre of various controversies since it began operations, including disputes over product quality, pricing, and regulatory compliance.
