By Nkechi Eze
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, on Thursday 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 an alleged fraud involving $1.3 million and N746,574,303.
The arrest order followed the failure of both defendants to appear in court for their scheduled arraignment.
Spokesperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Dele Oyewale, disclosed in a statement that the two defendants were expected to be arraigned alongside Sani Nafiu Mohammed before the court but failed to attend the proceedings. Only Mohammed, the third defendant in the matter, was present in court.
The trio are facing a 21-count charge filed by the EFCC bordering on breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent award of contracts and conversion of public funds amounting to about $1,300,000 and N746,574,303.
According to the charge, Farouq and Alkali, while serving as minister and permanent secretary respectively, allegedly committed criminal breach of trust between May 8, 2021 and September 22, 2022 in Abuja by fraudulently converting an aggregate sum of $1,300,000 meant to be refunded to the ministry by Visual ICT Limited.
The funds were reportedly excess payments made by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs under the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) for the validation of Rapid Response Register beneficiaries.
The charge reads in part:
“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, committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property when you fraudulently converted the said sum to your personal benefit.”
The prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, informed the court that the charge had been filed since December 15, 2025, but the first and second defendants could not be served at the time.
According to him, attempts to produce the defendants in court had earlier failed despite assurances from their lawyers that they would make them available.
Jacobs further told the court that the first defendant had written to the commission in 2024 indicating she was travelling to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment and that her passport was released to her for the trip.
“My lord, since that passport was released to her, she has not returned it to the Commission. We do not have the medical report in Saudi Arabia till date,” he said.
He added that although the defence counsel served the prosecution with an affidavit of facts claiming that the former minister was ill, all the attached medical reports were issued after the charge had already been filed.
Counsel to the first defendant, Abdul Ibrahim, SAN, told the court that Farouq’s absence was due to ill health and sought the court’s permission to tender an affidavit of fact to support the claim. The court, however, rejected the application.
Jacobs also informed the court that the EFCC sought to amend an ex-parte motion filed on February 16, 2026, requesting that the application be limited to the first and second defendants.
He urged the court to issue a bench warrant to compel their appearance.
“We are praying your lordship to order or issue a warrant of arrest against the first and second defendants. The application is supported by an affidavit showing that they were granted bail but failed to report back despite being served with the charges,” he said.
The defence counsel, however, pleaded with the court to allow him six weeks to produce the first defendant in court.
In his ruling, Justice Onwuegbuzie granted the prosecution’s application and issued a warrant of arrest against Farouq and Alkali.
The court subsequently adjourned the case to May 18, 2026 for arraignment and trial.
