Aliko Dangote has formally petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate former Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) chief executive Farouk Ahmed over alleged abuse of office, corrupt enrichment and financial misconduct.
Dangote had previously filed the same complaint with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in December 2025 but withdrew it on January 7 before redirecting the case to the EFCC, a move his lawyers described as strategic and aimed at accelerating possible prosecution.
In the petition addressed to EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede and signed by lead counsel Dr. O.J. Onoja (SAN), Dangote alleged that Ahmed lived beyond his legitimate means as a career public servant. He cited, among other issues, the claim that Ahmed spent more than $7 million on the foreign education of his four children at elite schools in Switzerland over a six-year period. Dangote said the expenditure far exceeded what could be justified by Ahmed’s official income.
The petition urged the EFCC to conduct a full investigation into “financial misconduct, violation of the code of conduct for public officers, and related offences,” arguing that the anti-graft agency was well positioned to prosecute such matters.
“The commission is strategically positioned along with sister agencies to prosecute financial crimes and corruption related offences,” Onoja wrote, adding that the matter would serve as a deterrent to other public officers.
Dangote’s complaints first became public in December, when he accused Ahmed of financial impropriety, citing the tuition, travel and upkeep of each child, estimated at about $200,000 annually, as well as an additional $2 million for tertiary education, including over $200,000 for a 2025 Harvard MBA programme.
Ahmed resigned from his position on December 17, 2025, after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu. As of the latest development, the petition awaits EFCC action, and Ahmed has not publicly responded to the allegations.
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