The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has invited billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote, to provide additional information on his petition against the immediate past Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Alhaji Farouk Ahmed.
Dangote is expected to appear before the commission today or be represented by his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), as investigations into the petition formally commence.
Sources at the ICPC disclosed that a special panel of investigators was constituted on Friday to handle the matter, underscoring the importance attached to the case.
According to the commission, Dangote has been asked to formally adopt the petition and submit documentary evidence to support the allegations contained in it.
In the petition, Dangote accused Farouk Ahmed of corruption, abuse of office, economic sabotage and misappropriation of public funds, alleging that the former regulator spent over $7 million on the education of his four children in elite schools in Switzerland without any lawful source of income to justify such expenditure.
Dangote further alleged that Farouk undermined domestic refining efforts by colluding with international oil traders and importers through the continued issuance of petroleum import licences, despite sufficient local refining capacity.
Although Farouk Ahmed has since resigned his appointment, the ICPC said his resignation does not affect the investigation, as the matter remains in the public interest.
“All is set for the investigation,” a senior ICPC source told The Nation.
“The chairman of the commission, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), directed a trusted team of investigators to focus solely on Dangote’s petition.”
The source added that after the formal adoption of the petition, the commission would isolate the issues raised and invite Farouk Ahmed to respond to the allegations.
Citing Section 19 of the ICPC Act (2000), the commission noted that it is an offence for any public officer to use his position to confer corrupt or unfair advantage on himself or his relatives, an offence punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment without an option of fine. The law also prescribes sanctions for malicious or frivolous petitions.
Dangote, in the petition submitted on Tuesday, demanded the arrest, investigation and prosecution of Farouk Ahmed for allegedly living far above his means as a public servant. The petition detailed the names of Farouk’s children, their schools in Switzerland, and specific amounts allegedly paid over a six-year period.
The dispute follows an earlier legal battle between Dangote and petroleum regulators. In 2024, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE filed a ₦100 billion suit against the NMDPRA and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), challenging the issuance of petroleum import licences despite domestic production capacity. The suit was discontinued in July 2025.
Confirming the development, ICPC spokesperson John Okor Odey said the commission received the petition on December 16, 2025, adding that it would be duly investigated in line with the law.