The legal battle facing former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, took a fresh turn on Monday as a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Apo, Abuja, dismissed her application seeking to set aside a bench warrant and warrant of arrest issued against her.

In a ruling delivered by Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, the court held that Farouq failed to honour its summons and had not provided any credible explanation for her absence.

The judge maintained that the court acted within its constitutional and statutory powers in issuing the bench warrant, stressing that no sufficient grounds had been presented to justify setting aside the order.

Farouq is standing trial alongside Bashir Nura Alkali and Sani Nafiu Mohammed on charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), including alleged criminal conspiracy, abuse of office and the diversion of public funds totaling $1.3 million and ₦746.7 million.

The anti-graft agency alleges that the funds were unlawfully diverted through transactions connected to the administration of public resources during Farouq’s tenure as minister.

Following the ruling, EFCC lead counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), urged the court to enforce an undertaking he said was previously given by Farouq’s lead counsel, A.A. Ibrahim (SAN), to produce the former minister before the court.

Jacobs argued that despite the assurance, Farouq had continued to stay away from proceedings, necessitating further intervention by the court to ensure her appearance.

In response, A.M. Lawal, who represented Ibrahim, appealed to the court to allow the senior advocate personally address the issue of the alleged undertaking. He argued that Ibrahim should be given the opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding the commitment attributed to him before any adverse decision is taken.

Justice Onwuegbuzie granted the request and directed Ibrahim to appear before the court to clarify his position on the matter.

The case was subsequently adjourned until July 2, 2026, for the arraignment of the defendants and continuation of proceedings.

The ruling marks a significant victory for the EFCC and reinforces the court’s resolve to compel the former minister’s appearance to answer the charges against her.

The high-profile case has continued to attract widespread public attention, given the huge sums involved and Farouq’s former oversight of key humanitarian and social intervention programmes of the Federal Government.

With the court refusing to vacate the arrest warrant, attention now shifts to the next hearing, where the defendants are expected to be formally arraigned in one of the country’s most closely watched corruption cases.