Abuja, NIGERIA — In a move that truly lives up to the “Disaster” in her former office’s name, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of former Humanitarian and Disaster Management Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq and her Permanent Secretary, Bashir Nura Alkali.
Okay News learnt that Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie lost patience with the duo on Thursday, April 16, 2026, after they failed to show up for their scheduled arraignment. While the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, made it to court, the former Minister and Perm Sec were notably absent, leaving their lawyers to explain their whereabouts.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is dragging the trio to court on a 21-count charge involving a “humanitarian crisis” of a different kind: the alleged disappearance of $1.3 million and over ₦746.6 million. The prosecution claims that instead of managing social safety nets, the officials managed to convert these public funds—originally meant for validating poor and vulnerable citizens—to their own personal benefit.
Sadiya’s lawyer, Abdul Ibrahim, SAN, claimed his client was too ill to attend. However, EFCC counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, said that the former Minister had allegedly collected her passport back in 2024 for a “medical check-up” in Saudi Arabia and has simply never returned it. Even more suspiciously, all the medical reports submitted by her team were dated after the criminal charges were filed in late 2025.
Refusing to admit the “sudden illness” story, Justice Onwuegbuzie rejected the defense’s affidavits and ordered security agencies to produce the former Minister in court.
