Dalena Reporters l December 21, 2025
Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has formally invited Africa’s richest man, business magnate Aliko Dangote, to appear before its investigators or be represented by his counsel to substantiate a high-profile corruption petition against the immediate past Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Alhaji Farouk Ahmed. The invitation signals the commencement of a full-scale investigation into allegations that have ignited public debate on governance, corruption, and accountability in Nigeria’s critical oil sector.
Dangote’s petition submitted to the ICPC on December 16, 2025 accuses Ahmed of corruption, abuse of office and illicit enrichment while serving as the NMDPRA chief. Among the most striking claims is that Ahmed spent millions of dollars on his four children’s education in Switzerland, paying school fees reportedly amounting to more than US $7 million, an expenditure Dangote says cannot be explained by Ahmed’s lifetime earnings as a public officer.
In inviting Dangote to adopt and present his petition, the ICPC has also constituted a special panel of senior investigators led by Chairman Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN) to handle the matter. Dangote is expected to appear in person or be represented by his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja (SAN), before the commission in Abuja tomorrow, when the investigation formally begins. The anti-graft agency has asked him to submit relevant documents, financial records and other evidence that could substantiate his allegations as required under the commission’s procedures that the accuser “must prove or provide lead” on claims made against public officials.
The petition outlines not only allegations of extravagant personal spending beyond known lawful income, but also claims that Ahmed abused his regulatory authority by facilitating practices that undermined domestic refining efforts particularly by continuing to issue petroleum import licences that critics say favoured foreign traders over local capacity. Dangote argues that these actions, if proven, amount to corruption, corrupt enrichment, misappropriation of public funds, and economic sabotage.
The ICPC has made clear that Ahmed’s resignation from the NMDPRA on December 17 does not affect the investigation, which the commission says will continue in the public interest. Sources within the anti-graft body emphasised that due legal process will be followed: once the petition is formally adopted, the commission will isolate the issues and give Ahmed an opportunity to respond to the allegations.
Under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act (ICPC Act 2000), it is an offence for a public officer to use their office to confer an unfair or corrupt advantage upon themselves or associates, with penalties that include up to five years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine. The ICPC has also warned that malicious or frivolous petitions that waste the commission’s time and resources may attract legal sanctions under the same law.
The development marks a significant escalation in what has been one of Nigeria’s most contentious corruption disputes in 2025. Coming amid broader public scrutiny of regulatory conduct and accountability in the oil industry, the ICPC probe and Dangote’s role in prompting it is likely to have far-reaching implications for governance, public trust and the oversight of strategic national assets.
Published by Dalena Reporters.