The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has summoned billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote to appear before it and provide further clarification on the petition he submitted against the immediate past Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Alhaji Farouk Ahmed.
Sources revealed that Dangote is expected to honour the invitation on Monday, December 22, or alternatively send a legal representative to formally adopt the petition and submit supporting documents. The anti-graft agency has also constituted a special team of senior investigators to handle the matter.
According to insiders, Dangote will be required to present evidence backing his allegations before Farouk Ahmed is invited to respond.
“All arrangements for the investigation have been concluded,” a senior ICPC source disclosed. “A panel of experienced investigators has been set up specifically to handle Dangote’s petition. The commission’s chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), directed the team to prioritise this case, highlighting how seriously it is being treated.”
The source further explained that Dangote or his lawyer has been formally invited to validate the petition.
“He or his counsel must submit relevant documents to support the claims. Anyone making allegations is required to provide credible leads for investigators to act upon,” the source stated, adding that the petition was acknowledged within the commission’s mandated 48-hour timeframe.
Once the petition is officially adopted, ICPC will outline the key issues and subsequently invite Farouk Ahmed to give his own account.
“There has been intense public interest in the case, but we assure everyone that the commission will conduct a fair and transparent process,” the source added.
In the petition, Dangote accused Farouk Ahmed of corruption and financial mismanagement, alleging that he spent several millions of dollars on the education of his four children in high-end schools in Switzerland. He also accused the former regulator of economic sabotage, claiming that he weakened local refining efforts by allegedly collaborating with foreign fuel traders and importers through the continued approval of import licences.
Represented by his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), Dangote called for Farouk’s arrest, investigation and prosecution, alleging that the former NMDPRA boss lived far beyond his legitimate earnings as a public official.
Dangote claimed that Farouk spent over $7 million on his children’s overseas education without any lawful income source to justify such expenses.
“He expended huge sums, exceeding $7 million, without evidence of legitimate earnings, on the education of his four children in Switzerland over a six-year period,” the petition stated, describing the actions as abuse of office, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement under the ICPC Act.
The disagreement between Dangote and petroleum regulators had earlier moved to the courts, with the Dangote Petroleum Refinery filing a ₦100 billion lawsuit against the NMDPRA, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and other parties. The refinery challenged the continued issuance of fuel import licences despite increasing local refining capacity, arguing that it violated the Petroleum Industry Act.
Confirming the development, ICPC spokesperson John Okor Odey said the commission received the petition on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, and assured that it would be thoroughly investigated.
Farouk Ahmed resigned from his role on Wednesday, shortly after meeting with President Bola Tinubu.
