A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has ordered the arrest of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, alongside a former Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, over their failure to appear for arraignment on fraud-related charges.
The arrest warrant was issued on Thursday by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie after both defendants failed to appear in court, while the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was present.
The trio are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 21-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, abuse of office, and alleged diversion of public funds amounting to $1.3 million and ₦746.57 million.
According to the prosecution, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Rotimi Jacobs, the charges had been filed since December 15, 2025, but efforts to produce the first and second defendants for arraignment were unsuccessful.
“We could not arraign them… because we could not produce them, but their lawyers in court promised that they would produce the defendants,” Jacobs told the court, adding that despite being served, only the third defendant honoured the court summons.
He further disclosed that Farouq had earlier written to the Commission indicating she was travelling to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment, after which her passport was released.
“My lord, since that passport was released to her, she has not returned the passport to the Commission. We do not have the medical report… till date,” Jacobs said.
The prosecution also challenged the medical claims presented by the defence, noting that documents attached to an affidavit were issued after the charges had already been filed.
Counsel to the first defendant, Abdul Ibrahim, attributed his client’s absence to ill health and sought the court’s permission to rely on an affidavit of facts. However, the court rejected the application.
Jacobs subsequently urged the court to issue a bench warrant, arguing that the defendants had failed to honour bail conditions and appear for trial despite being duly served.
“It is imperative… to permit the Commission to arrest the first and second defendants so that they can be compelled to appear before the court,” he said.
In his ruling, Justice Onwuegbuzie granted the EFCC’s application and ordered the immediate arrest of Farouq and Alkali. The case was adjourned to May 18, 2026, for arraignment and commencement of trial.
One of the counts alleges that the defendants, while in office between May 2021 and September 2022, fraudulently converted $1.3 million meant to be refunded to the ministry by a contractor under the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO).
The EFCC maintains that the funds were part of excess payments for beneficiary validation contracts but were instead diverted for personal use—an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code.
