Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has asked billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote to personally appear before it to formally adopt a corruption petition he filed against Farouk Ahmed, former Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
Dangote accused Ahmed of fraud, alleging that over $7 million in public funds was spent on the education of Ahmed’s four children in Switzerland. Ahmed has not publicly responded to the claims.
In a letter dated December 24, 2025, addressed to Dangote’s lawyer, Dr. Ogwu Onoja (SAN), the ICPC said the law does not permit proxy representation in complaints that could lead to criminal prosecution. The commission stressed that Dangote must personally adopt the petition to ensure procedural integrity and admissibility in court.
The ICPC has scheduled Dangote’s appearance at its headquarters for December 29, 2025, at 10 a.m.
The petition comes amid a prolonged dispute between Dangote’s refinery and petroleum regulators. In 2024, Dangote Refinery filed then withdrew a ₦100 billion lawsuit challenging the issuance of petroleum import licences, which it said undermined local refining efforts.
The ICPC reiterated that any individual may file a petition where there are reasonable grounds to suspect corrupt practices.
