By Seun Ibiyemi
A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja on Thursday issued a warrant of arrest against former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, and the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Bashir Nura Alkali, over an alleged fraud involving $1.3 million and N746.6 million.
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie gave the order following the failure of the two defendants to appear for their scheduled arraignment. Only the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was present in court.
The trio are to be prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 21-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent contract awards and alleged diversion of public funds.
According to the charge, Farouq and Alkali allegedly misappropriated $1.3 million between May 2021 and September 2022.
The funds were said to be part of excess payments made by the ministry under the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) to a contractor, Visual ICT Limited, for the validation of Rapid Response Register beneficiaries.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants converted the funds, which were meant to be refunded to the ministry, for personal use, an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code.
Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, told the court that although the charge was filed on December 15, 2025, the first and second defendants had not been available for arraignment due to difficulties in serving them.
He further informed the court that Farouq had earlier written to the EFCC requesting the release of her passport to travel to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment in 2024, but had yet to return the document or provide any medical report to justify her continued absence.
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Jacobs also noted that the medical reports attached to a recent affidavit submitted by her counsel were dated after the charges had already been filed.
Counsel to the first defendant, Abdul Ibrahim, SAN, told the court that his client’s absence was due to ill health and sought to tender an affidavit of facts. However, the court rejected the application.
Following the developments, Justice Onwuegbuzie ordered the arrest of the two absent defendants to ensure their appearance in court for arraignment.
