A coalition of public interest lawyers has dragged the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) before an FCT High Court, seeking the investigation and prosecution of Engr. Farouk Ahmed, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), over alleged fraudulent diversion of over $5 million in public funds.
The lawsuit, filed on July 16, 2025, under suit number FCT/HC/1311/117/744/25, was brought by the Incorporated Trustees of Once Love Caring and Foundation and Barrister Reuben Boma. It urges the court to compel the AGF and CCB to investigate and initiate criminal charges against Ahmed, alleging he used diverted funds to sponsor the elite foreign education of his four children.
Filed by counsel to the plaintiffs, Barrister S. Ihensekhien Jr., the suit seeks a judicial order of mandamus to force immediate action from the authorities, following what they describe as deliberate inaction by the CCB and Ministry of Justice despite widely circulated petitions and media investigations.
The plaintiffs accuse the NMDPRA boss of gross misconduct, misappropriation, and violations of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers. They claim that multiple national and international media outlets have reported on illicit financial flows allegedly linked to foreign accounts controlled by Ahmed, yet no official investigation has been launched.
Details in the statement of facts before the court indicate that whistleblower documents and transaction trails point to unauthorized expenditure running into millions of dollars. The funds were allegedly channeled into private educational expenses abroad—an act the plaintiffs describe as a betrayal of public trust and a threat to the credibility of the government’s anti-corruption crusade.
The legal action further asks the court to direct the Code of Conduct Bureau to empanel an investigative panel and take immediate disciplinary and criminal actions in line with its statutory mandate. The plaintiffs insist that failure to act sends a dangerous message about impunity among public officials.
No official response has yet been issued by the AGF’s office, the CCB, or Engr. Ahmed as of press time. However, pressure is mounting on the Tinubu administration to address the allegations amid its ongoing reforms in the petroleum and anti-corruption sectors.
