A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Abuja has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, for failing to appear in court for arraignment in an alleged fraud case.
The court, presided over by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, also ordered the arrest of the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Bashir Alkali, as both officials failed to appear for the proceedings.
The case, filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, involves 21 counts of alleged criminal breach of trust, abuse of office, and diversion of public funds. A third defendant, Sani Mohammed, was, however, present in court.
During the hearing, prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs told the court that all defendants had been duly served and even granted administrative bail, yet failed to honor the arraignment.
He further revealed that an earlier attempt to arraign them on December 15, 2025, also failed due to their absence.
According to the prosecution, Farouq reportedly travelled abroad on medical grounds but failed to return her international passport or provide any medical report to justify her continued absence.
In response, defence counsel Abdul Ibrahim pleaded with the court to grant more time, assuring that Farouq would be produced at the next hearing.
However, the trial judge was not convinced and rejected the request, granting the EFCC’s application for a bench warrant.
“The application of the prosecution is hereby granted,” Justice Onwuegbuzie ruled.
The court subsequently directed security agencies to arrest the defendants and produce them for arraignment.
The matter has now been adjourned to May 18.
Sadiya Umar Farouq served as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development from 2019 to 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
