The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed that it will continue its investigation into former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ahmed Farouk, despite the withdrawal of a petition by business magnate Aliko Dangote.
The commission said it had received a “notice of withdrawal” of the petition against Ahmed, submitted by Dangote’s legal counsel, Dr. O.J. Onoja, SAN. However, citing sections 3(14) and 27(3) of its enabling Act, the ICPC stressed that the investigation will proceed in line with its statutory mandate to promote transparency, accountability, and the fight against corruption.
“The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is in receipt of a letter dated January 5, 2026, titled ‘Notice of Withdrawal of Petition against Engineer Farouk Ahmed,’ submitted to the Commission by Dr. O.J. Onoja, SAN and Associates, legal counsel to Alhaji Aliko Dangote,” a statement by the commission’s spokesperson, J. Okor Odey, partly read.
“The letter states that the petitioner has withdrawn in its entirety the petition dated December 16, 2025, against Engineer Farouk Ahmed, the immediate past ACE/CEO of the NMDPRA, and that another law enforcement agency has taken over.
“However, in line with sections 3(14) and 27(3) of its enabling Act, the ICPC wishes to state categorically that investigations, in the interest of the Nigerian people and state, have already commenced and are ongoing,” the statement added.
Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group, had filed the petition in December 2025, accusing Ahmed of corruption and financial impropriety, including allegedly living beyond his means as a public servant.
The petition claimed that Ahmed spent over $7 million on the education of his four children in various schools in Switzerland over six years, without any evidence of lawful income to cover such expenses. Dangote provided details of the children, their schools, and the amounts paid, urging the ICPC to arrest, investigate, and prosecute Ahmed.
Dangote also alleged that Ahmed used his position at NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain, sparking public uproar and protests by various groups. The petition further noted that Ahmed’s lifetime earnings in the Nigerian public sector could not plausibly account for the alleged $7 million expenditure.
Ahmed has denied the allegations, describing them as “wild and spurious.”
The dispute between Dangote and Ahmed dates back to July 2024, when the former NMDPRA chief criticized local refineries, including Dangote’s, for producing inferior products compared to imports.
