Kanar Umar Farouk Ahmed ya kasance shugaban mulkin soja na Jihar Kuros Riba, Nijeriya (Agustan shekara ta 1996 zuwa watan Agustan shekara ta 1998) a lokacin mulkin soja na Janar Sani Abacha. Sannan an nada shi mai kula da jihar Kaduna a watan Agustan 1998 a lokacin mulkin rikon kwarya na Janar Abdulsalami Abubakar, inda ya mika ragamar mulki ga zababben gwamnan farar hula Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi a watan Mayun shekara ta 1999. Jim kaɗan bayan haka, Gwamnatin Tarayya ta yi masa ritaya, tare da duk sauran tsoffin ministocin soja, gwamnoni da masu gudanarwa. Ahmed ya kammala karatun sa ne a kwalejin tsaro ta Najeriya da kuma jami’ar Jos, inda ya samu babbar difloma a fannin mulki. An ba shi izini a aikin soja a 1976 a matsayin kwamandan batir. Matsayi na baya sun kasance Mataimakin soja (1986), Hedikwatar Sojin Manyan Ma’aikata ta Janar (1987), Adjutant Academy (1989) da Kwamandan Kwamandan S.S Wing (1992). Daga baya ya zama darekta a Bankin First Interstate Bank. http://www.fibplc.com/aboutus/view_details.php?page=3 https://web.archive.org/web/20070927200611/http://www.thisdayonline.com/archive/2001/04/29/20010429cov02.html