By Charles Ebi, Abuja
Activist under the auspices of Coalition for Public Accountability, COPA, has accused the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, of fleeing Nigeria with a view to evading arrest, alleging that Ahmed is “currently hiding on a private island in the United States.
COPA also said that Ahmed’s presence in the U.S. is contrary to the narrative that he is currently performing ”performing Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
The group in a statement, described Ahmed’s exit from the country is a calculated attempt to avoid prosecution over allegations of corruption, abuse of office
According to COPA “We have received credible intelligence that Engr. Farouk Ahmed is not in Saudi Arabia or the UAE as publicly claimed. Instead, he is currently hiding on a private island in the United States”.
The statement which was signed by COPA President, Ibrahim Adekunle, pointed out that “This is not just a case of moral failure or financial mismanagement.
“We are talking about a coordinated abuse of public office to fund a luxury lifestyle and foreign education for his children in elite European schools, using mechanisms that appear to have involved financial proxies and undeclared accounts.
“His disappearance confirms our fears — that the man has no intention of facing justice and is exploiting diplomatic and procedural loopholes to escape the consequences of his actions”.
COPA recalled that Ahmed had earlier faced public backlash following petitions submitted by the Concerned Lawyers Forum alleging transactions totalling over $5 million, inconsistent with Ahmed’s official earnings and were not declared in his asset filings.
Therefore, “We are calling on the EFCC, ICPC, and the CCB to bring Farouk Ahmed back to Nigeria to face the law”, Adekunle said.
Besides, COPA urged the federal government to work with Interpol and the U.S. Department of Justice to track Ahmed’s location.He must face Justice, the group insists.
