By Desire Emmanuel
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, April 16, issued a warrant of arrest against a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq and a Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali.
Farouq and Alkali were scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday before the court but failed to appear. Only the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was present in court.
The trio were to be arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 21-count charge bordering on breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent award of contract and conversion of public funds of about $1,300,000 and N746,574,303.
At the court on Thursday, prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, informed 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.
Jacobs further informed the court that the first defendant (Sadiya) 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 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, told 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 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.
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 for arraignment and trial.
