Friday, April 17, 2026 - Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of a Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, issued a warrant of arrest against a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Faruoq.
The court also directed that the former Permanent Secretary
in the Ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali be arrested alongside Sadiya over their
failure to appear in Court for arraignment.
Farouq and Alkali are scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday,
April 16, before the court, but failed to appear, except the third defendant,
Sani Nafiu Mohammed who was present in court.
The trio were to be arraigned before Justice Jude
Onwuegbuzie by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 21count
charge bordering on breach of trust and abuse of office.
They were also to be arraigned for fraudulent award of
contract and conversion of public funds to the tune of about $1,300,000 and
N746,574,303 when they held sway in the Ministry.
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, a Senior Advocate of
Nigeria,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” he said
Rotimi further informed the court the first defendant wrote
to the Commission 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.
“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 said
Counsel to the first defendant, Abdul Ibrahim, also a Senior
Advocate of Nigeria, informed the court that the reason for her 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.
Also, Jacobs informed the court that the EFCC wanted to
amend an ex-parte motion filed on February 16, 2026, which sought to limit the
application to only the first and second defendants.
He further prayed the court to order a warrant of arrest
against the first and second defendants.
“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 produce the first defendant in court in a period of six weeks
Delivering a ruling on the applications, Justice Onwuegbuzie
issued a warrant of arrest against the first and second defendants and
adjourned the matter till May 18, 2026 for arraignment and trial.
0 Comments