Aliko Dangote, the chairman of Dangote Group, has filed a suit against Ahmed Farouk, the managing director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
According to reports, Dangote accused Farouk of financial irregularities and wrongdoing.
Dangote urged in the December 16 petition that Ahmed be arrested, investigated, and prosecuted for allegedly living above his means while working for the government.
The ICPC Chairman’s office, Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), received the petition.
Dangote accused the NMDPRA MD of spending more over $7 million for his four children’s upfront education in several Swiss schools over a six-year period without providing proof of a legitimate source of revenue.
In order to support his claims and have the anti-graft agency verify them, Dangote listed the four children and their Swiss schools along with the sum of money spent for each.
He said that Farouk Ahmed was exploiting the NMDPRA’s power to pilfer and redirect public funds for personal benefit and the pursuit of private interests at the expense of the Nigerian people, causing recent unrest and protests by various parties.
Dangote further asserted that Farouk Ahmed worked in Nigeria’s public sector throughout his adult life and that the sum of his earnings over the years was not even close to $7 million, allegedly taken from the public coffers to pay for his teenage children’s international education.
“There is no question that the aforementioned facts regarding abuse of office, violation of the public officer code of conduct, corrupt enrichment, and embezzlement are egregious acts of corrupt practices for which your Commission (ICPC) is statutorily empowered to investigate and prosecute under section 19, of the ICPC Act,” Dangote stated.
“If such a person is successfully prosecuted under section 19 of the ICPC Act, they face a five-year prison sentence without the possibility of a fine.” We boldly declare that the ICPC is strategically positioned alongside sister agencies to prosecute financial crimes and other corruption-related offenses, and that the courts do not hesitate to punish offenders once a prima facie case is established.
In light of the aforementioned, we urge the Commission, led by you, to look into the allegations of corruption and abuse of authority against Engineer Farouk Ahmed and, if found guilty, to prosecute him.
“We have no reservations that the Commission will act decisively to ensure that justice is done and the good image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is protected because it is a matter that is in the public domain.”
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