Africa’s richest man and President/Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged corruption, abuse of office, and illicit enrichment by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engineer Farouk Ahmed.

In the petition dated December 16, 2025, and addressed to ICPC Chairman Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), Dangote called for Ahmed’s arrest, investigation, and prosecution, accusing the regulator of living far beyond his legitimate earnings as a public servant.

According to the petition, Ahmed allegedly spent over $7 million on the education of his four children in Switzerland, reportedly paying their school fees upfront for a six-year period. Dangote argued that such expenditure could not be justified by the lifetime earnings of a career public servant.

The businessman reportedly provided details of the children, the schools they attended, and the specific amounts paid, urging the anti-graft agency to verify the claims and establish what he described as clear evidence of corrupt enrichment.

Dangote further accused the NMDPRA chief of abusing his office by allegedly diverting public funds for personal use and deploying the regulatory authority to advance private interests at the expense of Nigerians. He claimed the alleged misconduct had already triggered public outrage and protests across parts of the country.

“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment, and embezzlement constitute gross acts of corruption,” Dangote stated in the petition.

He urged the ICPC to act under Section 19 of the ICPC Act, which prescribes a five-year jail term without an option of fine for such offences. Dangote also expressed his willingness to personally appear before investigators to present documentary and other evidence in support of his allegations.

The claims were first made public during a media interaction at the Dangote Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, where Dangote questioned Ahmed’s source of wealth and accused the NMDPRA leadership of frustrating local refining efforts through the continued issuance of fuel import licences.

“Nigerians deserve to know how a public officer could afford such sums while many parents in his home state of Sokoto struggle to pay ₦10,000 in school fees,” Dangote said.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has intervened in the escalating dispute, summoning both Dangote and the NMDPRA leadership to appear before its Joint Committees on Petroleum Resources (Midstream and Downstream). Lawmakers also directed both parties to refrain from further public commentary, warning that the growing tension could destabilise the downstream petroleum sector.

“We can only find sustainable solutions when we identify the critical issues responsible for this tension,” committee member Ikenga Ugochinyere said.