Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, on Thursday, issued a warrant for the arrest Sadiya Umar-Farouq— a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, and Bashir Nura Alkali — a permanent secretary in the ministry.
Ms Umar-Farouq and Mr Alkali were to be arraigned in court on Thursday, but the duo failed to appear, Dele Oyewale, the spokesperson for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said in a statement.
“Only the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed was present in court,” Mr Oyewale noted.
The trio are to be arraigned by the EFCC on a 21-count charge bordering on breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent award of contract and conversion of public funds of about $1,300,000 and N746,574,303.
The EFCC accused Ms Umar-Farouq and Mr Alkali of breaching Section 315 of the Penal Code when they allegedly converted the sum of $1,300,000.00 belonging to the ministry of humanitarian affairs, for personal use; thereby committing criminal breach of trust in respect of the sum meant to be refunded to the ministry by Visual ICT Limited, being excess funds paid by the ministry under the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) for the validation of rapid response register beneficiaries.
The prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, told the court that the charge was filed on December 15, 2025, but the first and second defendants could not be served.
“We could not arraign them on 15 December, because we could not produce them but their lawyers in court promised that they would produce the defendants but we didn’t see them until your lordship made an order for the state service. The defendants have now been served, my lord, only the third defendant has reported to the commission when his surety was contacted. The third defendant’s surety is also in court,” Mr Jacobs said.
The prosecutor further informed the court that the first defendant, Ms Umar-Faruoq wrote to the EFCC that she was going for a medical check-up in Saudi Arabia in 2024 and her passport was released to her for the medical check-up.
The prosecutor added that she did not provide any medical report to the anti-graft agency, and never returned her passport to the EFCC.
“My lord, since that passport was released to her, she has not returned the passport to the commission . We do not have the medical report in Saudi Arabia till date. Only this morning, my friend served me with an affidavit of fact, the learned senior counsel for the first defendant, wherein the deponent claimed that the first defendant took ill, my lord, all the medical reports which my friend attached to the affidavit of facts were issued after the charge had been filed. No medical report was issued or shown to us for the approved journey and the release of her passport,” Mr Jacobs told the court.
The counsel to Umar-Farouq, Abdul Ibrahim, SAN, informed the court that the reason for ex-minister’s absence was ill health.
He also prayed the court to accept an affidavit of fact he sought to tender, but the court rejected the application.
The trial judge, Mr Onwuegbuzie issued a warrant for the arrest of Umar-Farouq and Mr Alkali, at the behest of the EFCC.
