A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court in Apo has issued an arrest warrant against Sadiya Umar Farouq, former minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development.
Jude Onwuegbuzie, the presiding judge, also granted an order of arrest against Bashir Nura Alkali, a permanent secretary in the ministry.
The order was granted following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the defendants failed to appear in court for their scheduled arraignment on Thursday.
Umar Faruoq and Alkali alongside Sani Mohammed are facing a twenty-one-count charge bordering on breach of trust, abuse of office, filed by the EFCC.
The commission alleged that they misappropriated about $1.3 million and N746.6 million.
According to the EFCC, part of the funds meant to be refunded to the ministry after payments made under a social intervention programme was allegedly converted for personal use.
At the court session on Thursday, only Mohammed was present in court
Rotimi Jacobs, the prosecution counsel, told the court that although the charge was filed on December 15, 2025, the first and second defendants could not be arraigned because they were not available.
He said their lawyers had earlier undertaken to produce them in court but failed to do so until the court ordered substituted service.
Jacobs added that while all the defendants have now been served, only the third defendant has reported to the commission after his surety was contacted, noting that the surety was present in court.
Jacobs further told the court that the first defendant had written to the commission in 2024 seeking to travel to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment, after which her passport was released to her.
He said she had yet to return the passport and had not provided any medical report from the trip.
The prosecution counsel added that an affidavit filed by the defence on the morning of the hearing claimed the defendant was ill, but noted that the medical reports attached were issued after the charge had already been filed.
He said no medical report was presented to the commission at the time the passport was released.
In response, Abdul Ibrahim, counsel to the former minister, told the court that her absence was due to ill health and sought to tender an affidavit to that effect. However, the court declined to admit the application.
Umar Farouq was minister from 2019 to 2023 in the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari
