Corruption allegations: Dangote petitions ICPC, demands arrest of NMDPRA boss , Ahmed Farouk

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The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has submitted a petition against the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Ahmed Farouk, to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

In the petition, dated and submitted on December 16 through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, SAN, Dangote called on the ICPC to arrest, investigate and prosecute the NMDPRA boss for allegedly living far beyond his legitimate means as a public servant.

The petition, which was received by the office of the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, SAN, accused Farouk of spending more than seven million dollars on the education of his four children in Switzerland, allegedly paid upfront for a six-month period, without any lawful source of income to justify such expenditure.

“That Engr Farouk Ahmed has grossly abused his office contrary to the extant provisions of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers and, in doing enmeshed himself in monumental corruption and unlawful spending of Public funds running into millions of dollars.

“That Engr Farouk Ahmed spent without evidence of lawful means of income humongous amount of money of over 7million dollars of Public funds, for the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland for a period of six years upfront,” the petition read.

Dangote, in the petition, named the four children and the Swiss schools they attend, the amount paid for each of them, to enable the ICPC to verify the claims.

He further alleged that Farouk used the instrumentality of the NMDPRA to embezzle and divert public funds for personal gain and private interests, actions which he claimed had fuelled public outrage and recent protests by various groups.

According to the oil magnate, Farouk has spent his entire adult working life in the Nigerian public sector and could not, based on his legitimate earnings over the years, have accumulated funds close to the alleged seven million dollars used to finance his children’s education abroad.