Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the FCT High Court in Abuja has issued a warrant of arrest against former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, and a Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali.
The order was given on Thursday, April 16, 2026, after both defendants failed to appear in court for their arraignment. Only the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was present.
The three are to be arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 21-count charge involving breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent contract awards, and the alleged diversion of public funds.
They are accused of converting about $1,300,000 and ₦746,574,303 for personal use.
Part of the charge states that Farouq and Alkali, while serving in the ministry between May 2021 and September 2022 in Abuja, were entrusted with $1,300,000 but allegedly converted the money for personal benefit instead of returning it to the ministry. The funds were said to be excess payments made under the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office programme.
Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, told the court that the case was filed on December 15, 2025, but the first and second defendants could not be brought to court.
“We could not arraign them on 15 December, because we could not produce them, but their lawyers in court promised that they would produce the defendants, but we didn’t see them until your lordship made an order for the state service. The defendants have now been served, my lord, only the third defendant has reported to the Commission when his surety was contacted. The third defendant’s surety is also in court”, he said.
Jacobs also said Farouq had earlier informed the commission that she travelled to Saudi Arabia in 2024 for medical treatment and was allowed to take her passport, but she has not returned it.
“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 in Saudi Arabia till date. Only this morning, my friend served me with an affidavit of fact, the learned senior counsel for the first defendant, wherein the deponent claimed that the first defendant took ill, my lord, all the medical reports which my friend attached to the affidavit of facts were issued after the charge had been filed. No medical report was issued or shown to us for the approved journey and the release of her passport,” he said.
Counsel to the first defendant, Abdul Ibrahim, told the court that her absence was due to ill health and asked the court to accept an affidavit of fact, but the request was rejected.
The prosecution also asked the court to issue a warrant of arrest for the first and second defendants, stating that they had been granted bail but failed to return.
“We are praying your lordship to order or issue a warrant of arrest or bench warrant against the first and second defendants. It is also supported by an affidavit by one Celeb Peter on April 15, 2026 showing that the first and second defendants were granted bail but failed to report back and that the charge had been filed and served on them but they have failed to appear before the court today. It is imperative therefore for this honourable court to permit the Commission to arrest the first and second defendants so that they can be compelled to appear before the court,” he said.
The defence asked the court to allow six weeks to produce the first defendant.
In his ruling, Justice Onwuegbuzie ordered the arrest of the first and second defendants and adjourned the case to May 18, 2026, for arraignment and trial.
