Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Ex-Minister Farouq

On Thursday, a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzi, ordered the arrest of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, for failing to appear for her arraignment. The prosecution, represented by Rotimi Jacob, SAN, informed the court that Farouq had repeatedly failed to attend proceedings related to 21 counts of alleged financial crimes, including breach of trust and abuse of office involving public funds totaling approximately 1.37 billion naira.

The court also addressed the absence of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Bashir Alkali, who is set to stand trial alongside Farouq. The defense counsel, Abdul Ibrahim, SAN, attributed Farouq's absence to ill health and requested a six-week period to produce her in court, which Justice Onwuegbuzi rejected.

The judge granted the prosecution's application for a bench warrant, leading to the adjournment of the case until May 18, 2026.