Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Industries Limited, has withdrawn his corruption petition against Engineer Farouk Ahmed, the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
Dangote’s legal team, led by Ogwu Onoja (SAN), submitted a “Notice of Withdrawal” on January 5, stating that another law enforcement agency, reportedly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is now handling the matter to avoid duplication.
Recall, in December 2025, Dangote petitioned the ICPC to prosecute Farouk Ahmed for alleged embezzlement, abuse of office, and economic sabotage. Central to the petition was a claim that Ahmed spent over $7 million on Swiss education for his children, an amount Dangote argued the entire service year of a public service official can’t provide.
Dangote has countlessly accused the NMDPRA of undermining local refining capacity by continuing to grant import licenses to fuel traders, while the regulator has previously countered that the refinery’s production was insufficient to meet total national demand.
Due to pressure, Ahmed resigned from his position on December 17, 2025, and was replaced by Saidu Mohammed.
Despite this withdrawal, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) announced on Wednesday, January 7, that it would proceed with its investigation into the allegations.
The ICPC has rejected the idea that the probe should end. Under Sections 3(14) and 27(3) of the ICPC Act, the agency maintains it has a statutory mandate to pursue investigations in the public interest regardless of the petitioner’s withdrawal.
We asked [Dangote] to come in person to adopt his petition because our law does not allow representation in criminal matters… We have now received a letter of withdrawal from him.The ICPC will therefore continue to investigate this matter in line with its statutory mandate and in the interest of transparency, accountability and the fight against corruption for the benefit of Nigeria – John Okor Odey, Spokesperson of the commission
The ICPC has activated formal procedures to contact educational institutions in Switzerland to verify the tuition payments alleged in the original petition.
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