— Says Corrupt Practices Act Does Not Permit Proxy Representation In Criminal Matters
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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has directed Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, to appear personally before the commission to formally adopt his corruption petition against a former chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Alhaji Farouk Ahmed.
Dangote had petitioned the anti-graft agency, alleging fraud and abuse of office by Ahmed. However, the ICPC said the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, does not permit proxy representation in criminal matters.
The commission has given Dangote until December 29 to appear at its headquarters.
The directive was conveyed in a letter dated December 24 and addressed to Dangote’s lawyer, Dr. Ogwu Onoja (SAN), by the Chief of Staff to the ICPC Chairman, Rouqayya Ibrahim. Onoja had earlier visited the commission on December 22 to adopt the petition on behalf of his client.
In the letter, the ICPC said Dangote’s personal appearance was necessary because the matter under investigation is criminal in nature and could result in prosecution.
“While the commission appreciates your representation, we are constrained to draw your attention to the fact that the matter under investigation is criminal in nature, being conducted pursuant to the provisions of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000,” the letter read in part.
It added that criminal investigations may culminate in court proceedings, where the complainant’s statement and personal adoption of the petition could be required as evidence.
“It is therefore essential, for purposes of procedural integrity and admissibility, that Alhaji Aliko Dangote personally adopts his petition before the commission,” the letter stated, inviting him to appear at the ICPC headquarters on December 29, 2025, at 10 a.m.
Dangote’s petition accused Ahmed of spending over $7 million in public funds on the education of his four children at elite schools in Switzerland, with fees allegedly paid upfront for up to six years.
“That Engr. Farouk Ahmed spent without evidence of lawful means of income humongous amount of money of over $7 million of public funds, for the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland for a period of six years upfront,” Dangote alleged.
The petition is the latest development in the long-running dispute between Dangote and the petroleum regulator, which previously culminated in a N100 billion lawsuit.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE had filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging import licences issued by the NMDPRA and other agencies, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). The refinery alleged that the licences violated provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act by allowing imports despite sufficient domestic refining capacity.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024, was however discontinued in July by Dangote’s lawyers.
ICPC guidelines state that any person, within or outside Nigeria, may submit a petition against an individual or corporate body where reasonable grounds exist to suspect the commission of offences under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
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