A Federal High Court in Abuja has heard how businessman Aliko Dangote narrowly escaped being defrauded by foreign contractors engaged to provide services for one of his companies, Dangote Refineries.
The court also heard how one of the truck drivers, employed by Dangote Cement and identified as Mohammed Tayiru (Tahir), along with others, allegedly diverted truckloads of “thick iron pipes” worth billions of naira.
Court documents filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) revealed these details while seeking arrest warrants against the foreigners and an order to freeze five bank accounts traced to the proceeds of Tayiru’s alleged fraud.
The foreigners, mostly Asians, identified as He Jun, Sun Yuzhu, Yong Li, Dr. Feng, Jaykumar Sagar, and Rajnish Gupta, were reportedly engaged to lay undersea pipes for crude oil transport to Dangote Refineries in Lagos. According to the documents, they failed to perform the contracted work and allegedly forged a certificate of project completion, which they submitted to the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) tribunal, claiming $50 million.
Their alleged fraudulent activities were discovered when Dangote Refineries provided evidence to the LCIA showing that the contractors did not deliver on their obligations.
On Friday, while arguing for the arrest warrant, police lawyer Rimamsomte Ezekiel, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), informed the court that the respondents were all foreigners based in Lagos. A criminal charge has also been filed against them before the High Court of Lagos State under charge number 11/26401C/2025.
Ezekiel added that the arrest warrants were necessary to ensure the respondents could be brought before the court for trial. Supporting affidavits stated that in 2021, under false pretenses and with intent to defraud Dangote, the respondents conspired among themselves, forged, and submitted the certificate to claim $50 million.
Some respondents went into hiding to avoid investigation, while others cooperated. The police said those at large remain fugitives, and the arrest warrants will facilitate potential extradition for prosecution.
Justice Emeka Nwite granted the application, instructing the police to complete their investigation within 30 days and report back on September 20. In a separate application, Ezekiel sought and obtained an order freezing five bank accounts allegedly owned by Tayiru, containing proceeds from the alleged fraud.
Dangote, with a net worth of $24.4 billion from stakes in oil, cement, and sugar, remains Africa’s wealthiest man, according to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List. Fellow Nigerians on the list include Abdulsamad Rabiu ($7.2 billion), Mike Adenuga ($6.3 billion), and Femi Otedola ($1.5 billion). Globally, Elon Musk leads with $419.1 billion, followed by Larry Ellison ($282.2B) and Mark Zuckerberg ($260.3B). Dangote has held Africa’s top billionaire position for 14 consecutive years.