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A Nigerian court has issued an arrest warrant on Thursday for a former humanitarian affairs minister and a former permanent secretary who failed to appear for arraignment on fraud charges involving $1.3 million and 746.6 million naira, the anti-graft agency said.
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja ordered the arrest of Sadiya Umar-Farouq, who served as minister from 2019 to 2023, and Bashir Nura Alkali, a former permanent secretary in the same ministry.
A third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, appeared in court, according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“Farouq and Alkali are scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday before the court but failed to appear. Only the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed was present in court,” EFCC wrote.
EFCC said the three face 21 counts, including breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent contract awards and conversion of public funds.
Prosecutors allege that between May 2021 and September 2022, Umar-Farouq and Alkali diverted $1.3 million meant to be refunded to the ministry by a contractor, Visual ICT Limited.
The money represented excess payments made by the ministry’s National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office for validation work on the Rapid Response Register of beneficiaries, the EFCC said.
The charges read: “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 the 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 lawyer Rotimi Jacobs told the court that charges had been filed since December 15, 2025, but the two defendants could not be served initially.
He said their lawyers had promised to produce them in court, but failed to do so until an order for substituted service was made.
“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”, he said.
Jacobs also informed the court that Umar-Farouq had requested her passport from the EFCC in 2024 for a medical trip to Saudi Arabia.
“Since that passport was released to her, she has not returned the passport to the commission,” Jacobs said, adding that no medical report from Saudi Arabia had been provided.
On the morning of the hearing, defense counsel submitted an affidavit claiming Umar-Farouq was ill, but medical reports attached were dated after the charges were filed, the prosecutor said.
“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.”
Defence lawyer Abdul Ibrahim informed the court that his client’s absence was due to illness.
He asked the court to accept an affidavit of fact he wished to submit, but Justice Onwuegbuzie rejected the application.
The court then issued the arrest warrant against both absent defendants.
The former minister has previously denied wrongdoing. In a social media post following the EFCC investigation, she said she would “defend my actions, stewardship and programmes during my tenure whenever I am called upon to do so.”
Umar-Farouq’s tenure was marked by multiple scandals involving social intervention funds, including the alleged diversion of 2.67 billion naira meant for school feeding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alleged $1.3m, N746.6m Humanitarian Ministry Fraud: Court Issues Arrest Warrant against Sadiya, Perm Sec
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court Abuja on Thursday, April 16, 2026 issued a warrant of arrest against a former Minister of… pic.twitter.com/22b3nCflHy
— EFCC Nigeria (@officialEFCC) April 16, 2026
