An Abuja High Court on Thursday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq and former Permanent Secretary Bashir Nura Alkali. The order followed their failure to appear for arraignment. Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie issued the warrant after the case was called. A third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was present in court.
The anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, is seeking to arraign the three defendants on a 21-count charge. The counts include alleged criminal breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent contract awards and conversion of public funds. Prosecutors said the case involved about $1.3 million and 746.6 million naira.
According to the charge, the alleged offences took place in Abuja between May 2021 and September 2022. Prosecutors said the $1.3 million was meant to be refunded to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs by Visual ICT Limited. They said the money was an excess payment made under the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office for the validation of Rapid Response Register beneficiaries.
Prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs told the court the charge had been filed since Dec. 15, 2025. He said the first and second defendants could not be produced earlier despite efforts to serve them. He added that their lawyers had earlier promised to produce them in court, but they did not appear.
Jacobs also told the court that Farouq was allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia in 2024 for a medical check-up after her passport was released to her. He said she had not returned the passport and had not submitted any medical report from the trip. He also challenged documents filed by her legal team, saying the attached medical reports were issued after the charge had been filed.
Farouq’s lawyer, Abdul Ibrahim, told the court that his client was absent because of ill health. He asked the court to accept an affidavit of facts, but the judge rejected the request.
The court then granted the prosecution’s application for a bench warrant against Farouq and Alkali. The matter was adjourned for arraignment.
