Court Orders Arrest of Ex-Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Perm Sec Over Alleged $1.3m, ₦746.6m Fraud
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has ordered the arrest of a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, and a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali.
The arrest warrant was issued against Farouq and Alkali on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the duo were scheduled to be arraigned before the court on Thursday but failed to appear. Only the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was present in court.
EFCC disclosed that the trio are to be arraigned on a 21-count charge bordering on breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent award of contract, and conversion of public funds amounting to about $1,300,000 and ₦746,574,303.
Count one of the charge reads: “That you Sadiya Umar Farouq while being Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, and Bashir Nura Alkali while being the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, between 8 May 2021 and 22 September 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, and in such capacity entrusted with certain property to wit, an aggregate sum of $1,300,000.00 (One Million, Three Hundred Thousand Dollars), committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property when you fraudulently converted the said sum to your personal benefit and which sum was meant to be refunded to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development by Visual ICT Limited, being excess funds paid by the Ministry under National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) for the validation of Rapid Response Register beneficiaries and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 315 of the Penal Code and Punishable under the same Section.”
Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, informed the court that the charge had been filed since 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,” Jacobs said.
He also informed the court that the first defendant had written to the Commission, stating that she was going to Saudi Arabia for a medical check-up in 2024, and that her passport was released to her for that purpose.
“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,” he added.
Jacobs equally informed the court that the EFCC intended to amend an ex parte motion filed on February 16, 2026, which sought to limit the application to the first and second defendants. He further prayed the court to issue a warrant of arrest against them.
Counsel to the first defendant, Abdul Ibrahim, SAN, informed the court that her absence was due to ill health. Ibrahim also prayed the court to accept an affidavit of facts he sought to tender, but the court rejected the application.
“We are praying your lordship to order or issue a warrant of arrest or bench warrant against the first and second defendants. It is also supported by an affidavit by one Celeb Peter on April 15, 2026, showing that the first and second defendants were granted bail but failed to report back and that the charge had been filed and served on them but they have failed to appear before the court today.
“It is imperative therefore for this honourable court to permit the Commission to arrest the first and second defendants so that they can be compelled to appear before the court,” he said.
The defence counsel, on the other hand, prayed the court to allow him to produce the first defendant in court within six weeks.
In a ruling on the applications, Justice Onwuegbuzie issued a warrant of arrest against the first and second defendants and adjourned the matter until May 18, 2026, for arraignment and trial.
