A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Apo has ordered the arrest of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, alongside a permanent secretary in the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, after both failed to appear for their scheduled arraignment.
The ruling was delivered on Thursday by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, which is prosecuting the defendants on a 21 count charge bordering on alleged criminal breach of trust, abuse of office and diversion of public funds.
According to the EFCC, about 1.3 million dollars and more than 746 million naira, amounting to approximately 2.49 billion naira, were allegedly misappropriated during their time in office.
During the proceedings, the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was present in court, while Farouq and Alkali were absent.
Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, told the court that all defendants had been duly served with court processes but failed to appear despite being aware of the arraignment date.
He further informed the court that the former minister had earlier been granted approval to travel abroad on medical grounds but had neither returned her international passport nor submitted any medical report to the EFCC.
Counsel to the former minister, Abdul Ibrahim, attributed her absence to ill health and sought to present an affidavit to that effect, but the court declined to admit the document.
The defence also requested a six week adjournment to allow time for the defendants to appear, a request opposed by the prosecution, which insisted on enforcement measures.
The EFCC maintained that the defendants had repeatedly failed to comply with court summons and bail conditions, urging the court to compel their appearance through arrest warrants.
In his ruling, Justice Onwuegbuzie granted the application and issued bench warrants for the arrest of both Farouq and Alkali.
The matter was adjourned to May 18, 2026, for arraignment and continuation of trial proceedings.
