Alh. Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Industries Limited, has withdrawn a formal petition he submitted to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) against the former Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed.
The business mogul withdrew the petition from the anti-graft agency through his lawyer, Ogwu Onoja, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The spokesman of the ICPC, John Odey, confirmed the development. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Group, has withdrawn his petition against Ahmed Farouk, the former chief executive officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). Giving an update on the petition in a statement on Wednesday, Odey,said the withdrawal notice was conveyed in a letter from Dangote’s lawyer.
Odey said the petitioner withdrew the petition in its entirety and that another law enforcement agency has taken over. He said in a statement that despite the withdrawal, the agency would continue to investigate the matter in line with its statutory mandate.
He also stressed that continual investigation was in the interest of transparency, accountability and the fight against corruption for the benefit of Nigeria. “The ICPC wishes to state categorically that in line with the provisions of sections 3(14) and 27(3) of its enabling Act, the investigations in the interest of the Nigerian people and the Nigerian state have already commenced and are presently ongoing.
“The ICPC will therefore continue to investigate this matter in line with its statutory mandate and in the interest of transparency, accountability and the fight against corruption for the benefit of Nigeria.” The statement read.
