Sadiya Farouq’s Arrest was ordered along with a former Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali.
The order was given on Thursday by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie after both individuals failed to appear in court to respond to multiple charges filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The 21-count charge borders on abuse of office, breach of trust, improper contract awards, and the alleged diversion of public funds amounting to about $1.3 million and over ₦746 million.
During the court session, only one of the defendants, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, was present.
The EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), told the court that although the case was filed in December 2025, the first and second defendants had avoided being served and had not shown up in court.
He added that even though they were previously granted administrative bail, they failed to return as required.
Jacobs also informed the court that the former minister had earlier requested permission to travel to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment in 2024, and her passport was released for that purpose.
However, she has not returned the passport or provided any medical report since then.
In response, her lawyer, Abdul Ibrahim (SAN), said she could not attend court due to health issues and asked the court to accept an affidavit explaining her absence.
The judge declined to consider the document.
The EFCC then asked the court to issue a warrant for the arrest of the two absent defendants, stating that they had been properly informed of the charges but failed to appear.
Despite the defence asking for more time to present the former minister in court, the judge approved the request for their arrest.
Justice Onwuegbuzie ordered that both defendants be taken into custody and adjourned the case until May 18 for their arraignment.
Sadiya Farouq was appointed as Nigeria’s first Minister of Humanitarian Affairs in 2019 under former President Muhammadu Buhari and was one of the youngest members of his cabinet.
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