A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has issued a warrant of arrest against former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiyya Umar Farouq, over her failure to appear for arraignment in an alleged multimillion-dollar fraud case.
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie granted the order yesterday after Faruoq and a Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Nura Alƙali, failed to attend court proceedings in Abuja.
Only the third defendant, Sani Nafi’u Mohammed, was present.
Faruoq is facing a 21-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), bordering on criminal breach of trust, abuse of office, and alleged diversion of public funds totalling $1.3 million and ₦746.6 million.
According to the charge, the former minister allegedly authorised and benefitted from the diversion of funds meant to be refunded to the ministry by a contractor under the National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office.
The prosecution claims the funds were converted for personal use while she was in office between May 2021 and September 2022.
Prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, told the court that although the charges had been filed since December 2025, efforts to produce Farouq for arraignment had failed.
He noted that while she was previously granted bail and allowed to travel abroad for medical reasons, she had neither returned her passport nor provided any medical report to justify her continued absence. Her counsel, Abdul Ibrahim, argued that ill health prevented her appearance and sought to tender an affidavit to that effect, but the court declined the application.
The EFCC subsequently applied for a bench warrant, arguing that the defendants had been duly served but failed to honour the court’s summons.
In his ruling, Justice Onwuegbuzie granted the application and ordered the arrest of Farouq and Alƙali to compel their appearance in court.
The matter was adjourned to May 18, 2026, for arraignment and trial.
