A Federal Capital Territory Excessive Courtroom has ordered the rapid arrest of the previous Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Catastrophe Administration, and Social Improvement, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq.
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie issued the bench warrant on Thursday following the previous minister’s failure to look in court docket for her scheduled arraignment.
Additionally affected by the arrest order is the previous Everlasting Secretary of the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, who equally didn’t current himself earlier than the court docket to face a 21-count corruption cost introduced by the {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee (EFCC).
The authorized proceedings contain allegations of an enormous {financial} scandal totaling roughly ₦1.3 billion. Particularly, the EFCC is accusing the officers of a prison breach of belief and the fraudulent diversion of public funds.
The prosecution alleges that the defendants transformed $1.3 million and ₦746.57 million by way of the suspicious award of presidency contracts. Whereas the primary two defendants have been absent, the third defendant within the case, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was current within the courtroom for the day’s proceedings.
Central to the fees is an allegation that between Could 2021 and September 2022, Farouq and Alkali diverted $1.3 million meant for the Nationwide Social Security Web Coordinating Workplace. This cash was meant for the validation of beneficiaries underneath the Speedy Response Register. Investigators declare the funds have been paid as “extra funds to Visible ICT Restricted” and have been by no means returned to the federal ministry as required by legislation.
Through the listening to, EFCC lead counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, expressed frustration over the repeated delays within the case. He knowledgeable the court docket that though the fees have been filed in December 2025, the previous minister and the everlasting secretary had constantly prevented showing regardless of varied assurances from their authorized groups.
Jacobs reminded the court docket that Farouq had beforehand been allowed to journey to Saudi Arabia for medical care in 2024, however she had didn’t return her passport or present any official medical stories since that point.
The protection counsel, Abdul Ibrahim, SAN, tried to justify Farouq’s absence by citing ongoing well being challenges. He tried to submit an affidavit to elucidate her situation and requested a six-week window to carry his consumer to court docket.
Nevertheless, Justice Onwuegbuzie rejected the reason and the submitting, siding with the prosecution’s request to compel their look by way of a warrant. The decide subsequently adjourned the matter till Could 18, 2026, for the formal arraignment and graduation of trial.