ICPC has insisted on probing Ex-NMDPRA Boss Farouk Ahmed despite Dangote’s withdrawal of petition.
NaijaOnPoint Nigeria reports that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has insisted that it will continue its investigation into the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ahmed Farouk, despite the withdrawal of a petition earlier filed by billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote.
The anti-graft agency confirmed that it received formal notification from Dangote’s legal team informing it of the decision to withdraw the petition against the former NMDPRA chief.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the ICPC spokesperson, J. Okor Odey, the Commission said the withdrawal would not halt the ongoing probe, stressing that Nigerian law empowers it to proceed with investigations once they have commenced, particularly where public interest is involved.
According to the statement, the ICPC received a letter dated January 5, 2026, titled “Notice of Withdrawal of Petition against Engineer Farouk Ahmed,” submitted by Dr. O.J. Onoja, SAN, counsel to Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
The letter, the Commission said, indicated that the petition dated December 16, 2025, filed against Ahmed, the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of the NMDPRA, had been withdrawn in its entirety, with claims that another law enforcement agency had taken over the matter.
However, the ICPC stated that under Sections 3(14) and 27(3) of its enabling Act, it retains the legal authority to continue investigations already initiated.
“The ICPC wishes to state categorically that, in line with the provisions of sections 3(14) and 27(3) of its enabling Act, investigations in the interest of the Nigerian people and the Nigerian state have already commenced and are presently ongoing,” the statement read.
Dangote had, in December 2025, petitioned the ICPC, accusing Farouk Ahmed of corruption and financial misconduct, and called for his arrest and prosecution.
In the petition, Dangote alleged that the former NMDPRA boss lived far beyond his legitimate earnings as a public servant, claiming that he spent over $7 million on the education of his four children in Switzerland over a six-year period without any clear lawful source of income.
He reportedly provided details including the names of the children, the schools they attended, and the tuition fees paid, urging the anti-graft agency to investigate the source of the funds.
Dangote further alleged that Ahmed abused his office to divert public funds for personal use, claims he said had triggered public outrage and protests in some quarters. He argued that Ahmed had spent his entire career in public service and could not have legitimately earned such sums.
The petition also alleged that the funds used for the overseas education of the children were drawn from public resources.
Ahmed Farouk has since denied the allegations, describing them as baseless, unfounded, and malicious.