A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has issued a warrant of arrest against a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, and a Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, over their failure to appear for arraignment on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
The order was made by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie after both defendants were absent in court, while the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was present.
The trio are facing a 21-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), bordering on alleged breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent award of contracts, and diversion of public funds amounting to $1.3 million and N746.57 million.
According to the charge, Farouq and Alkali are accused of criminal breach of trust involving $1.3 million, allegedly converted for personal use between May 2021 and September 2022.
The funds were said to be excess payments made under the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) programme for the validation of Rapid Response Register beneficiaries and were meant to be refunded by Visual ICT Limited to the ministry.
Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), told the court that the case had been filed since December 15, 2025, but the two defendants could not initially be served.
He explained that although their lawyers had previously assured the court that they would produce them, they failed to do so.
Jacobs further informed the court that Farouq had earlier written to the commission, stating she was travelling to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment in 2024, and her passport was released for that purpose. However, he said she had yet to return the passport or provide any medical report to justify her absence.
He also noted that medical documents recently submitted by her legal team were issued after the charges had already been filed, raising concerns over their validity.
Counsel to the first defendant, Abdul Ibrahim (SAN), attributed his client’s absence to ill health and sought to tender an affidavit to that effect. However, the court declined the application.
Following the developments, Justice Onwuegbuzie ordered the arrest of the two absent defendants to ensure their appearance in court for arraignment.
