Court Dismisses Farouq to Vacate Arrest Warrant in N746m Case

Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja, on Monday, June 15, 2026, dismissed an application filed by the legal team of former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Sadiya Umar Farouq seeking to set aside a bench warrant and arrest warrant issued against the former minister in a 21-count fraud case involving alleged diversion of public funds totalling approximately 1.3 million dollars and N746.7 million.

The judge held that Farouq had willfully failed to appear in court without a valid reason and that the law empowered the court to sustain a bench warrant in such circumstances. The court was not persuaded by the medical report submitted on her behalf, which had been used to justify her absence since April 2026. The matter was subsequently adjourned to July 2, 2026, for arraignment.

EFCC prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs SAN commended the ruling and urged the court to enforce an undertaking allegedly made by Farouq’s lead counsel A.A. Ibrahim SAN to produce his client. Jacobs pointed out that the medical report had requested only six to eight weeks for treatment and that the eight-week period had expired on June 9, 2026. ‘On our part, we have decided to give effect to the arrest of the first defendant,’ Jacobs said, signalling that the commission intended to actively enforce the warrant.

Farouq Reportedly Hospitalised in Egypt

Farouq, who served as a minister under the Buhari administration and oversaw some of Nigeria’s most sensitive social intervention programmes, has been reported to be receiving medical treatment in Egypt and has reportedly been declared medically unfit to return to Nigeria for trial. Her legal team has consistently cited health grounds for her failure to appear in court since the EFCC obtained leave to arraign her in April.

However, the court’s dismissal of the application to vacate the warrant removes a key procedural shield and puts the former minister on notice that the judicial process will not wait indefinitely for her return. Furthermore, the commission’s public declaration of its intention to enforce the arrest order signals an escalation that could trigger a diplomatic dimension if Farouq remains outside Nigeria.

The EFCC alleges that Farouq, along with former Permanent Secretary Bashir Nura Alkali and Sani Nafiu Mohammed, engaged in criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, and diversion of public funds linked to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs. Both Alkali and Mohammed appeared in court as required. Still, Farouq’s absence has repeatedly delayed arraignment, frustrating the prosecution’s efforts to move the case to trial. Notably, the case involves funds linked to the ministry’s management of social intervention programmes, which were intended to benefit some of Nigeria’s most vulnerable citizens. Consequently, public interest in the outcome of the case remains high, with civil society groups monitoring proceedings closely.

EFCC Also Pursues Appeal Against Stalled Investigation

In a separate development, the EFCC confirmed it was pursuing its appeal at the Court of Appeal against an interim injunction that had been used to obstruct one of its ongoing financial crime investigations. The commission said it would contest all such applications and would not allow judicial procedures to be weaponised to shield suspects from investigation. As a result, the EFCC is managing multiple high-stakes legal battles simultaneously across both criminal prosecutions and investigation protection proceedings.