The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja has directed that a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Faruoq should be arrested to answer charges of fraudulent diversion of social security funds during her time in office.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said the court also ordered the arrest of the Permanent Secretary in the ministry Bashir Nura Alkali.
The EFCC said the duo refused to appear for arraignment on fraud charges before the court on Thursday, forcing Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie to order for their arrest.
The commission said only their co-defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed, who is the third defendant, appeared in court.
The prosecutor, Rotimi Jacobs, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said the EFCC had filed the charges against the defendants since December last year, adding that arraignment had stopped due to the unavailability of the two defendants.
According to Jacobs, a previous attempt at the arraignment on 15 December 2025 failed because the two defendants were absent., adding that their lawyers who attended the proceedings promised to produce them, but the defendants had yet to report at the EFCC office, except the third defendant.
Jacobs said although the defendants had been served with the charges, it was not possible until the court granted an order of substituted service.
