The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq, wanted over alleged criminal conspiracy, abuse of office and diversion of public funds.
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The move marks a major escalation in the anti-graft agency’s investigation into financial dealings linked to the humanitarian affairs ministry, a ministry created to support vulnerable Nigerians, disaster victims and people affected by poverty.
Read related news: Court issues arrest warrant against ex-minister Farouq
The EFCC posts the wanted notice on its website and urges members of the public with useful information on Farouq’s whereabouts to contact the commission. The notice, signed by the agency’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, says Farouq is wanted in connection with alleged criminal conspiracy, abuse of office and diversion of public funds.
Farouq, 52, served under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2019 to 2023. She led the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development during a period when the government rolled out major social intervention programmes across the country.
The EFCC says members of the public can reach its offices in Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt and Abuja. It also lists its phone line, email address and nearest police stations among available reporting channels.
The case matters because the humanitarian ministry handles programmes meant for some of Nigeria’s poorest citizens. Any allegation involving diverted funds from such a ministry carries heavy public interest, especially at a time when many Nigerians face rising food prices, unemployment and economic pressure.
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Reports say the EFCC has been probing the ministry over alleged financial misconduct. TheCable reports that the commission is investigating the ministry over an alleged ₦37 billion fraud and that a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo issued an arrest warrant against Farouq on April 16, 2026, after she allegedly failed to appear for arraignment.
The report also says Farouq, alongside Bashir Nura Alkali, a former permanent secretary in the ministry, and one Sani Mohammed, faces a 21-count charge linked to alleged breach of trust and abuse of office. The EFCC alleges that funds meant to be refunded to the ministry after payments under a social intervention programme were converted for personal use.
The former minister has not been convicted of any offence. The allegations remain before the anti-graft agency and the court process. A wanted notice does not amount to guilt, but it signals that investigators want the person named to appear before them or the court.
The development also raises fresh questions over accountability in public welfare programmes. Nigerians want answers on how funds meant for vulnerable people were managed, who approved payments, and whether weak oversight allowed public money to disappear.
For now, the EFCC is asking the public to help locate Farouq. The bigger test will be whether the investigation leads to a clear court process, full disclosure of the alleged transactions, and justice that Nigerians can trust.
