The Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Sadiya Farouq and her ministry's permanent secretary, Bashir Nura Alkali, after both failed to appear for arraignment on fraud charges. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed the court order, stating that Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie issued the warrant following their absence. Only their co-defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, appeared in court. EFCC prosecutor Rotimi Jacobs, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, told the court that the charges were filed in December 2023 but arraignment had been delayed due to the non-appearance of Farouq and Alkali. Jacobs said earlier attempts to arraign them on 15 December 2025 failed for the same reason. He added that despite being served with the charges, the two did not report to the EFCC, even after their lawyers promised to produce them. The charges relate to the alleged fraudulent diversion of social security funds during Farouq's tenure. The EFCC cited the need for substituted service before proceedings could advance. Farouq, the first minister of the ministry created under former President Muhammadu Buhari, has faced repeated allegations over misuse of funds. President Bola Tinubu suspended the ministry's social security programmes in 2023 pending investigations into fraud.
Sadiya Farouq's arrest warrant marks a rare moment of legal consequence for a high-profile minister accused of looting social welfare funds meant for Nigeria's most vulnerable. Unlike past cases that quietly fade, this one has a visible judicial trail, with a court openly rebuking her absence and the EFCC pushing for accountability despite delays.
The suspension of the ministry's programmes by President Tinubu in 2023 was not just administrative—it was an admission that the social safety net had been compromised at the highest levels. Farouq's tenure, marked by unexplained expenditures and opaque disbursements, became symbolic of how poverty-focused institutions can be weaponized for personal gain. The fact that only one co-defendant showed up for court underscores a pattern of elite impunity, where legal processes are treated as optional.
Ordinary Nigerians who depended on those social programmes are the real losers. The alleged diversion of funds means food, cash transfers, and emergency support meant for the poor likely vanished into private pockets. For those living on the edge, the collapse of these schemes wasn't bureaucratic—it was survival-level betrayal.
This case fits a broader pattern: social intervention projects in Nigeria are frequently launched with fanfare but collapse under poor oversight and political patronage. When ministers like Farouq operate without checks, the institutions meant to protect the weak become their prey.
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