by Eric Ikhilae, Abuja
A Federal High Court in Abuja has heard how businessman, Aliko Dangote, escaped being defrauded by some foreigners engaged to provide services for one of his companies, the Dangote Refineries.
The court also heard how one of the truck drivers, engaged by Dangote Cement, identified as Mohammed Tayiru (Tahir) and some others allegedly diverted truckloads of “thick iron pipes” estimated at billions of naira.
These were revealed in court documents filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), with which he sought arrest warrant against the foreigners and an order freezing five bank accounts in five banks, to which proceeds of the alleged fraud by Tayiru were traced.
The foreigners, who are mostly Asians, are identified as: He Jun,
Sun Yuzhu, Yong Li, Dr. Feng, Jaykumar Sagar and Rajnish Gupta, were said to have been engaged to lay under-sea pipes for the movement of crude oil to the Dangote Refineries in Lagos.
According the court documents, the Asians were said to have failed to perform the task for which they were engaged and allegedly forged a certificate of completion of contract, which they took before the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) tribunal, claiming $50million.
Their alleged fraudulent act was said to have been discovered when Dangote Refineries presented evidence before the LCIA that the Asians did not deliver on the task for which they were engaged.
On Friday, while arguing the application for arrest warrant, police’s lawyer, Rimamsomte Ezekiel, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) told the court that the respondents (the five Asians) “are all foreigners who are based in Lagos, Nigeria.”
He said a criminal charge has been filed against them before the HIgh Court of Lagos State, with charge number: 11/26401C/2025.
Ezekiel added that the warrant of arrest was required to enable the police “to effectively secure the productions of the respondents to the court for their trial.”
In a supporting affidavit, it was stated that the foreigners, “sometime in 2021 under false pretense and with intention to defraud their victim, who is Alhaji Dangote, conspired among themselves, forged and submitted a certificate of completion of projects to the London Court of international Arbitration Tribunal to claim sum of $50,000,000.00 (US Dollars).
“When their evil was exposed, the court rejected their submission and called for their arrest and the investigation of the matter.
“Since then, some of the respondents have gone into hiding to avoid police’s investigation and prosecution of the criminal offences, which they committed, while some of them submitted themselves for the investigation.
“The respondents have case to answer on the allegations of those criminal offences which they committed.
“Some of those respondents, who have made statements to the police, freely confessed to the allegations.
“The Nigeria Police Force have done everything to arrest those who are at large but to no avail, as they are not within the Republic of Nigeria.
“The arrest warrant will enable the police authority to apply for the extradition of the respondents back to Nigeria for investigation and prosecution at the court of law, even if they are out of the country and is hiding in any part of the world.
“The Nigeria Police is desirous of prosecuting this case diligently if the respondents can be arrested. The warrant of this honourable court can be executed in any part of the country, and any part of the world if it is granted in this case.
That the granting of the arrest warrant in this case is to enable the Nigeria Police Force invite the respondent for the completion of the investigations and their prosecution at the court of law.”
In granting the application, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered the police to conduct its investigation within 30 days and report back on September 20.
While moving the second application for an order freezing the five bank accounts allegedly owned by Tayiru, Ezekiel told the court that the respondents was currently at large.
The affected accounts are: 1696193289, domiciled in Access Bank, with Mohammed Tahir as account name; 0121946277 in GT Bank, with Mohammed Tayiru as account name; 2113902271 in UBA, with Mohammed Tayiru as account name; 9129948744 in PalmPay Limited, with Mohammed Tayiru as account name, and 8033300443 in Opay Digital Services Limited, with Mohammed Tayiru as account name.
The police states, in a supporting affidavit, that “Mohammed Tayiru (Tahir) and others for converting Dangote thick iron pipes, which were given to them to deliver to locations from Dangote Company.”
The police added that investigation so far revealed “that Mohammed Tayiru (Tahir), who is the principal suspect in this case, was one of the Dangote trailer drivers, who sold all the thick iron pipes from Dangote Company and converted the money into the identified bank accounts.
“Billions of naira belonging to Dangote Company are in the bank accounts, which Mohammed Tayiu (Tahir) fraudulently deposited for himself for his personal use.
“The police investigation revealed that, the suspect has case to answer in this case. The offence in this case happened June/July 2025, Abuja, Lagos, Port-Harcourt, and other parts of the country
“This case is one of the complicated case that the Police is investigating due to the parties that are involved and the multiplicity of the accounts involved,” the police said.
In a ruling, Justice Nwite granted the application, but ordered that the investigation should be carried out within 60 days.
Meanwhile, Dangote, with a net worth of $24.4 billion from his stakes in oil, cement and sugar has been affirmed as Africa’s wealthiest man, according to the latest Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List.
His fellow Nigerians on the list are Abdulsamad Rabiu whose net worth is put at $7.2 billion; Mike Adenuga at $6.3 billion (#592); and Femi Otedola at $1.5 billion (#2424).
Dangote is No.88 in the global ranking by Forbes.
In the rating, South Africa’s luxury goods tycoon, Johann Rupert, is credited with a net worth of $13.2bn, and his compatriot, Nicky Oppenheimer, with $10.4bn.
Others include Koos Bekker with $3.8bn, mining magnate Patrice Motsepe with $3.4bn, banker Michiel le Roux with $2.7bn, Jannie Mouton and family with $1.9bn, and retail investor Christoffel Wiese with $1.7bn.
Egypt’s No.1 billionaire,according to Forbes is Nassef Sawiris ($8.8bn) followed by Naguib Sawiris ($5.0bn),the Mansour brothers, Mohamed ($3.4bn), Youssef ($1.4bn), and Yasseen ($1.2bn).
Others from the continent are Eswatini’s Nathan Kirsh worth $8.0bn;Morocco’s Othman Benjelloun & family ($2.0bn), Aziz Akhannouch ($1.6bn), and Anas Sefrioui & family ($1.6bn) as well as Tanzania’s Mohammed Dewji with t $2.2bn;and Zimbabwe’s Strive Masiyiwa with $1.3bn.
Americans dominate the first eight positions in the global ranking as follows:Elon Musk ($419.1 B);Larry Ellison ($282.2B);Mark Zuckerberg ($260.3B);Jeff Bezes ($240.7B);Larry Page ($173.0B);Sergey Brin ($161.0B);Jense Huang ($154.9B);Steve Ballmer ($153.3B).
In the ninth position are France’s Bernard Arnault & family ($150.9B) while America’s Warren Buffet is 10th with $146.2B).
Dangote has held the position of Africa’s leading billionaire for the 14 consecutive year.
He was first named so in 2008 but was displaced and then reclaimed it in 2011.
