$1.3m, N746.6m Fraud: Court docket Points Arrest Warrant In opposition to Former Minister Sadiya, Perm Sec

Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Excessive Court docket Abuja on Thursday, April 16, 2026 issued a warrant of arrest in opposition to a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Catastrophe Administration and Social Growth, Sadiya Umar Faruoq and a Everlasting Secretary within the Ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali.

Farouq and Alkali are scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday earlier than the court docket however failed to seem. Solely the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed was current in court docket.

The trio are to be arraigned by the {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee, EFCC on a twenty-one rely cost bordering on breach of belief, abuse of workplace, fraudulent award of contract and conversion of public funds of about $1,300,000( One Million, Three Hundred Thousand United States {Dollars}, and N746,574,303( Seven Hundred and Forty Six Million, 5 Hundred and Seventy 4 Naira, Three Hundred and Three Naira)

Depend one of many cost reads: “That you just Sadiya Umar Farouq, Whereas being Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Catastrophe Administration and Social Growth, and Bashir Nura Alkali whereas being the everlasting Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Catastrophe Administration and Social Growth, between 8 Might 2021 and 22 September 2022, in Abuja, throughout the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court docket, and in such capability entrusted with sure property to wit, an mixture sum of $1,300,000.00(One Million, Three Hundred Thousand {Dollars}), dedicated legal breach of belief in respect of the mentioned property whenever you fraudulently transformed the mentioned sum to your private profit and which sum was meant to be refunded to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Catastrophe Administration and Social Growth by Visible ICT Restricted, being extra funds paid by the Ministry below Nationwide Social Security Web Coordinating Workplace (NASSCO) for the validation of Speedy Response Register beneficiaries and also you thereby dedicated an offence opposite to Part 315 of the Penal Code and Punishable below the identical Part.”

Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, knowledgeable the court docket that the cost had been filed since December 15, 2025, however the first and second defendants couldn’t be served.

“We couldn’t arraign them on 15 December, as a result of we couldn’t produce them however their attorneys in court docket promised that they might produce the defendants however we didn’t see them till your lordship made an order for the state service. The defendants have now been served, my lord, solely the third defendant has reported to the Fee when his surety was contacted. The third defendant’s surety can be in court docket”, he mentioned.

Rotimi additional knowledgeable the court docket the primary defendant wrote to the Fee that she was going for a medical check-up in Saudi Arabia in 2024 and her passport was launched to her for the medical check-up.

“My lord, since that passport was launched to her, she has not returned the passport to the Fee . We do not need the medical report in Saudi Arabia until date. Solely this morning, my pal served me with an affidavit of reality, the realized senior counsel for the primary defendant, whereby the deponent claimed that the primary defendant took sick, my lord, all of the medical experiences which my pal hooked up to the affidavit of information had been issued after the cost had been filed. No medical report was issued or proven to us for the permitted journey and the discharge of her passport”, he mentioned

Counsel to the primary defendant, Abdul Ibrahim, SAN, knowledgeable the court docket that the explanation for her absence was sick well being. He additionally prayed the court docket to simply accept an affidavit of reality he sought to tender, however the court docket rejected the appliance.

Additionally, Jacobs knowledgeable the court docket that the EFCC needed to amend an ex-parte movement filed on February 16, 2026, which sought to restrict the appliance to solely the primary and second defendants. He additional prayed the court docket to order a warrant of arrest in opposition to the primary and second defendants.

“We’re praying your lordship to order or problem a warrant of arrest or bench warrant in opposition to the primary and second defendants. Additionally it is supported by an affidavit by one Celeb Peter on April 15, 2026 exhibiting that the primary and second defendants had been granted bail however did not report again and that the cost had been filed and served on them however they’ve failed to seem earlier than the court docket at present. It’s crucial due to this fact for this honourable court docket to allow the Fee to arrest the primary and second defendants in order that they are often compelled to seem earlier than the court docket”, he mentioned.

The defence counsel, alternatively, prayed the court docket to permit him produce the primary defendant in court docket in a interval of six weeks

Delivering a ruling on the functions, Justice Onwuegbuzie issued a warrant of arrest in opposition to the primary and second defendants and adjourned the matter until Might 18, 2026 for arraignment and trial.