Dangote Petitions EFCC Over Alleged Corruption by Ex-NMDPRA Boss
Chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has filed a formal corruption petition against the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The development was disclosed in a statement released on Friday by the Dangote Group media team.
According to the statement, the petition was submitted through Dangote’s legal counsel following the withdrawal of an earlier complaint filed with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Dangote had previously asked the ICPC to investigate Ahmed over allegations that he spent $5 million on his children’s secondary education in Switzerland, a claim that raised concerns about possible abuse of office and illicit enrichment. Although the petition was withdrawn, the ICPC had said it would continue its investigation.
The statement explained that the decision to approach the EFCC was a “strategic move aimed at accelerating the prosecution process.”
In the petition addressed to the EFCC and signed by Lead Counsel, Dr O.J. Onoja, Dangote urged the commission to investigate allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment against Ahmed and to prosecute him if found culpable.
The petition also stated that Dangote is prepared to provide documentary evidence to substantiate the claims of financial misconduct and impunity.
“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,” the petition read, citing judicial precedents including Lawan v. FRN (2024) and Shema v. FRN (2018).
Onoja further called on the EFCC, under the leadership of Olanipekun Olukoyede, to thoroughly investigate the allegations and take appropriate legal action if wrongdoing is established.
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