Court Orders Arrest of Ex-Minister Sadiya Farouq Over ₦2.49bn Fraud — Failed to Return Passport After Medical Trip

An FCT High Court in Apo, Abuja, has issued bench warrants for the arrest of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Sadiya Umar Farouq and former Permanent Secretary Bashir Nura Alkali, after both failed to appear for their arraignment on a 21-count charge involving alleged diversion of public funds totalling approximately ₦2.49 billion.

Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s application on Thursday, noting that Farouq had been allowed to travel abroad for medical reasons but never returned her international passport or submitted a medical report to justify her continued absence.

The charges

The EFCC is prosecuting the defendants on charges of criminal breach of trust, abuse of office, and diversion of public funds. The alleged diverted amounts include approximately $1.3 million and ₦746 million, funds that were supposed to support humanitarian interventions for vulnerable Nigerians.

The irony writes itself: a minister entrusted with the welfare of the country’s most vulnerable citizens is accused of diverting those very funds for personal gain. And when called to answer for it, she fled abroad on “medical grounds” and refused to return her passport.

The flight from justice

EFCC counsel Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) told the court that the defendants were granted administrative bail and duly served with charges, yet repeatedly failed to appear. Only one of the defendants, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was present in court. Jacobs emphasised that Farouq failed to return her international passport after travelling abroad, a clear signal that she has no intention of submitting to the court’s jurisdiction.

Defence counsel Abdul Ibrahim (SAN) attributed his client’s absence to ill health and urged the court to consider an affidavit deposed to that effect. The court was unmoved. When a defendant is granted medical travel and then fails to return the passport or provide a medical report, the “ill health” defence wears thin.

What happens next

The case has been adjourned to May 18, 2026. With bench warrants now issued, the EFCC is empowered to arrest Farouq and Alkali wherever they can be found. Whether the commission has the capacity to enforce those warrants, particularly if Farouq is outside Nigeria, remains an open question.

This case is part of a broader pattern of former officials facing corruption charges who use medical travel as an escape route. The question for the justice system is whether bench warrants will actually result in arrests, or whether they will join the long list of court orders that are routinely ignored by Nigeria’s political class.

Sources: Punch, Daily Post, NaijaNews