Aliko Dangote has formally requested that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) look into allegations of financial misconduct, corrupt enrichment, and abuse of office against former Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) chief executive Farouk Ahmed.
In December 2025, Dangote filed the same complaint with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC). However, on January 7, he withdrew it and then transferred the case to the EFCC, a move his attorneys characterized as strategic and intended to expedite potential prosecution.
Dangote claimed that Ahmed lived beyond his legal means as a career public servant in the petition signed by lead counsel Dr. O.J. Onoja (SAN) and addressed to EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede. Among other things, he brought up the allegation that Ahmed spent over $7 million over the course of six years sending his four children to prestigious Swiss schools. According to Dangote, the expenses were significantly higher than what Ahmed’s official income could support.
The petition urged the EFCC to conduct a full investigation into “financial misconduct, violation of the code of conduct for public officers, and related offences,” arguing that the anti-graft agency was well positioned to prosecute such matters. “The commission is strategically positioned along with sister agencies to prosecute financial crimes and corruption related offences,” Onoja wrote, adding that the matter would serve as a deterrent to other public officers.
Dangote’s complaints first became public in December, when he accused Ahmed of financial impropriety, citing the tuition, travel and upkeep of each child, estimated at about $200,000 annually, as well as an additional $2 million for tertiary education, including over $200,000 for a 2025 Harvard MBA programme.
Ahmed resigned from his position on December 17, 2025, after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu. As of the latest development, the petition awaits EFCC action, and Ahmed has not publicly responded to the allegations.