Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of a Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, issued a warrant of arrest against a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Faruoq.
The court also directed that the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali be arrested alongside Sadiya over their failure to appear in Court for arraignment.
Farouq and Alkali are scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, April 16, before the court, but failed to appear, except the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed who was present in court.
The trio were to be arraigned before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 21 count charge bordering on breach of trust and abuse of office.
They were also to be arraigned for fraudulent award of contract and conversion of public funds to the tune of about $1,300,000 and N746,574,303 when they held sway in the Ministry.
Count one of the charge reads
“That you Sadiya Umar Farouq, While being Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, and Bashir Nura Alkali while being the permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, between 8 May 2021 and 22 September 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, and in such capacity entrusted with certain property to wit, an aggregate sum of $1,300,000.00(One Million, Three Hundred Thousand Dollars), committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property when you fraudulently converted the said sum to your personal benefit and which sum was meant to be refunded to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development by Visual ICT Limited, being excess funds paid by the Ministry under National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) for the validation of Rapid Response Register beneficiaries and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 315 of the Penal Code and Punishable under the same Section.”
Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria,informed the court that the charge had been filed since December 15, 2025, but the first and second defendants could not be served.
“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
Rotimi further informed the court the first defendant wrote to the Commission that she was going for a medical check-up in Saudi Arabia in 2024 and her passport was released to her for the medical check-up.
“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, also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, informed the court that the reason for her absence was ill health. He also prayed the court to accept an affidavit of fact he sought to tender, but the court rejected the application.
Also, Jacobs informed the court that the EFCC wanted to amend an ex-parte motion filed on February 16, 2026, which sought to limit the application to only the first and second defendants.
He further prayed the court to order a warrant of arrest against the first and second defendants.
“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 counsel, on the other hand, prayed the court to allow him produce the first defendant in court in a period of six weeks
Delivering a ruling on the applications, Justice Onwuegbuzie issued a warrant of arrest against the first and second defendants and adjourned the matter till May 18, 2026 for arraignment and trial.