A group of lawyers yesterday stormed the Presidential Villa and the National Assembly (NASS), Abuja, with a petition demanding the immediate sack and prosecution of the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed.
The lawyers made grave allegations of corruption, abuse of office, and conflict of interest against Farouk.
Led by Samuel Ihensekhien, the lawyers accused Farouk of favouritism.
“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.
“The actions of Mr Ahmed represent a clear abuse of office, a betrayal of the Nigerian 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 freezing 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 organisations, including the Situation Room for Oil Sector Reforms, the Concerned Young Professionals Network, and the Coalition for Public Accountability (COPA), which have held protests calling 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. They also stated that his continued occupancy of the position threatens transparency, accountability, and reforms in the petroleum sector.
