Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq, has approached an Abuja High Court asking it to cancel the arrest warrant issued against her in an ongoing corruption trial.
Farouq is standing trial alongside a former Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Alkali, and another official, Sani Mohammed. She was absent from court again on Monday, while the two co-defendants appeared before the judge.
Her lawyer, Oladipo Opeseyi, informed the court that she was unable to attend due to health challenges. He then requested the court to hear their application challenging the arrest warrant issued on April 16.
However, the prosecution counsel, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, objected strongly, arguing that the court cannot entertain such an application until the defendant has been properly arraigned.
He insisted that court records do not support hearing the request at this stage of the case.
But Farouq’s lawyer disagreed, maintaining that the request was a preliminary issue that should be addressed before arraignment. He warned that refusing to hear it would amount to ignoring the application entirely.
When the court asked when Farouq would appear, her lawyer said communication had been difficult, pointing to what he described as a “10-day holiday in Egypt.” He also added that the defence was not in a position to medically confirm her condition.
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie responded by noting that the court must proceed based on legal facts, not assumptions about health status.
After listening to both sides, the judge allowed arguments on the application to proceed. The defence asked the court to cancel the arrest warrant, while the prosecution urged the judge to dismiss the request and reject the medical documents submitted, describing them as unreliable.
The case was later adjourned until June 10, when the court is expected to give a ruling on the application.