A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has issued a warrant of arrest against Sadiya Umar Farouq, a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, and a Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, over alleged fraud involving $1.3 million and N746.6 million.
The trio are to be prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 21-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent award of contracts, and alleged diversion of public funds.
The statement reveal that Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie gave the order on Thursday after the two defendants failed to appear in court for their arraignment. Only the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was present.
The development was contained in a statement released on the anti-graft agency’s official Facebook page, detailing the court proceedings and the allegations against the defendants.
According to the charge, Farouq and Alkali are accused of misappropriating $1.3 million between May 2021 and September 2022 while in office. The funds were said to be excess payments made by the ministry under the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) to a contractor, Visual ICT Limited, for the validation of beneficiaries under the Rapid Response Register.
Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), told the court that although the charge was filed on December 15, 2025, the first and second defendants had not been available for arraignment despite efforts to serve them.
He added that Farouq had earlier obtained permission to travel to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment but had yet to return her passport or provide medical reports to justify her continued absence.
Counsel to the first defendant, Abdul Ibrahim (SAN), attributed her absence to ill health and sought to tender an affidavit to that effect, but the court declined the application.
The prosecution subsequently applied for a bench warrant, arguing that the defendants had been granted administrative bail but failed to report or appear in court.
In his ruling, Justice Onwuegbuzie granted the application and ordered the arrest of the two defendants to compel their appearance.
The case was adjourned to May 18, 2026, for arraignment and trial.
