A group of 500 public interest lawyers has stormed the Presidential Villa and National Assembly with a petition demanding the immediate sack and prosecution of Ahmed Farouk, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The lawyers cited grave allegations of corruption, abuse of office, and conflict of interest against Farouk, including the alleged diversion of over $5 million of public funds to finance his children’s education in elite institutions in Switzerland and India.
Led by Samuel Ihensekhien, they also accused Farouk of employing his son, Faisal Ahmed, in Oando PLC, a private entity directly under NMDPRA’s regulatory oversight, constituting a clear conflict of interest.
The petitioners further alleged that Farouk has fled the country to evade arrest and is hiding on a private island in the United States, an act they described as “cowardly” and indicative of guilt.
” It is alleged that Mr. Farouk Ahmed diverted over $5 million of public funds to finance the private foreign education of his four children in elite institutions across Switzerland and India,” the petition reads.
“This flagrant misuse of public resources, at a time when millions of Nigerians suffer from deteriorating public education
infrastructure, is both morally reprehensible and criminally indictable.
“Mr. Ahmed’s son, Faisal Ahmed, was reportedly employed by Oando PLC, a private entity directly under the regulatory oversight of NMDPRA. This constitutes a glaring conflict of interest and a violation of ethical standards and the principles of impartial regulation.
“The actions of Mr. Ahmed represent a clear abuse of office, a betrayal of theNigerian people’s trust, and a severe breach of the fiduciary duty required of all public servants. Recent credible reports suggest that Mr. Ahmed has fled the country in an
attempt to evade arrest and is allegedly hiding on a private island in the United States. ”
They demanded that the National Assembly commence an immediate investigation, recommend Farouk’s immediate sack and suspension, and collaborate with international security agencies like Interpol to ensure his extradition back to Nigeria.
The lawyers also called for the freezing of Farouk’s local and offshore assets and sweeping reforms in the appointment and oversight of regulatory agency heads in the oil and gas sector.
The petition is backed by civil society organizations, including the Situation Room for Oil Sector Reforms, the Concerned Young Professionals Network, and the Coalition for Public Accountability (COPA), who have held protests calling for Farouk’s suspension and prosecution.
The petitioners emphasised that Farouk’s actions represent a clear abuse of office, a betrayal of the Nigerian people’s trust, and a severe breach of fiduciary duty, and that his continued occupancy of the position threatens transparency, accountability, and reforms in the petroleum sector.
