Billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote has withdrawn a petition he filed with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the former chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Ahmed Farouk.
The ICPC disclosed this in a press statement titled “Investigation of Dangote’s Petition Against Engineer Farouk Ahmed of NMDPRA Continues.”
According to the commission, it received a letter dated January 5, 2026, titled “Notice of Withdrawal of Petition Against Engineer Farouk Ahmed,” from Dr O.J. Onoja & Associates, legal representatives to Dangote.
The letter formally withdrew the petition dated December 16, 2025, filed against Farouk Ahmed.
The ICPC stated that Dangote’s legal team explained that the withdrawal was based on the fact that another law enforcement agency had taken over the investigation of the allegations contained in the petition.
Despite the withdrawal, the commission said investigations already commenced would continue in line with Sections 3(14) and 27(3) of the ICPC Act.
It added that such investigations are conducted in the interest of the Nigerian state and its citizens.
QEDNG had earlier reported that Dangote accused Farouk Ahmed of corruption and misappropriation of public funds.
The allegations included claims that the former NMDPRA boss spent millions of dollars on the education of his four children in Switzerland without evidence of lawful income to support the expenditure.
He also accused him of financial impropriety during a media briefing on challenges in Nigeria’s downstream oil and gas sector on December 14, 2025.
Following the accusations and the filing of the petition, Farouk Ahmed resigned from office and was later replaced by President Bola Tinubu.
The ICPC had also invited Dangote to appear before a panel of investigators in Abuja over the petition.
The commission maintained that Ahmed’s resignation does not affect the status of the investigation.
