Scores of hoodlums on Tuesday traded tackles with protesters demanding the removal of the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Engr. Farouk Ahmed, over alleged indulgence in financial malfeasance in the outfit.

Trouble started after the hoodlum infiltrated the midst of the protesters under the aegis of the Young Professionals Forum of Nigeria, shortly after they converged at the headquarters of the NMDPRA as part of the week-long rally in Abuja.

Led by Comrade Emmanuel Ogwuche, the protesters, who had been in altercations with the hoodlums for over 20 minutes, quietly left the scene to reconvene another day, hoping for peace to reign.

Ogwuche, who spoke to reporters, assured them that they would continue their peaceful protests until the necessary actions were taken, just as they reiterated the allegations of abuse of power and regulatory compromise levelled against Ahmed.

“Engr. Ahmed is at the centre of a massive financial scandal involving the alleged diversion of over $5 million in public funds to bankroll the luxurious foreign education of his children,” they claimed.

“While millions of Nigerians cannot afford to send their children to basic public schools, while university students in Nigeria face strikes, dilapidated hostels, and unpaid lecturers, one public servant is alleged to have spent our commonwealth to secure elite education for his family in Switzerland and India.

“Schools that are as far removed from the average Nigerian reality as the moon is from the Earth. Schools like Aiglon College, Institut Le Rosey, European University Montreux, and La Garenne International School. In total, over $5 million is alleged to have been spent on tuition, accommodation, upkeep, and flights over the years.

“These payments were routed through undisclosed accounts, proxy relatives, and unreported assets — none of which appeared in Mr. Ahmed’s mandatory asset declaration forms,” he said.

Ogwuche maintained that the alleged action is unethical and potentially criminal, as public officials are required to declare all their assets in accordance with the existing provisions of the law.

Calling on Ahmed to resign, the protesters swore that they would not allow the NMDPRA to become a haven for elite impunity.