A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja on Monday, dismissed an application filed by a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq seeking to set aside a warrant of arrest earlier issued against her.

It was gathered that Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie held that the former minister failed to appear before the court without a valid reason.

The judge said the law allows the court to issue a bench warrant if a defendant intentionally skips criminal proceedings.

Umar-Farouq is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside Bashir Alkali and Sani Mohammed.

They are facing charges bordering on criminal conspiracy, abuse of office and alleged diversion of public funds in the tone of $1.3 million and ₦746.7 million.

EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, said in a statement on Monday that the defendants are to be arraigned before the court.

In his ruling, Justice Onwuegbuzie ruled that the reasons Umar-Farouq gave for her absence were not enough.

The judge said, “The defendant is well aware that this is a criminal matter and the defendant has willfully failed to appear in court without a valid reason and the law empowers the court when it has been ascertained that the defendant is absent from court without a valid reason to issue a bench warrant of arrest.

“There’s nothing in the exhibit that says why the defendant, who has only arthritis and heart disease, cannot appear before the court. Are there no medical facilities in Nigeria? I am satisfied that the 1st defendant is trying to hide behind her fingers by raising bogus excuses.

It is necessary to remind the applicant that this is a criminal matter and not a civil one and there is a way of going about its proceedings. In my opinion, there is no merit in this application from all legal considerations. I do hold so.

Reacting to the ruling, EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), commended the court and urged the court to order the enforcement of an earlier undertaking allegedly given by Umar-Farouq’s lead counsel, A.A. Ibrahim (SAN), to produce his client.

Jacobs argued that the medical report submitted by the defence only asked for six to eight weeks for treatment and that the eight-week period expired on June 9.

“My lordship, for a senior counsel to give an undertaking which is reflected in your lordship’s ruling, we crave your lordship to give effect to that undertaking by A.A. Ibrahim, SAN, to produce the defendant,” he said.

“If you look at the attached so-called medical report, it is only asking for the period of six and eight weeks within which the defendant will be arrested and that the eight weeks had been expired on June 9, 2026.

I beg your lordship that the court will not take the undertaking for granted. We have decided to give effect to the arrest of the first defendant by us. We also ask the counsel to the first defendant to co-operate and produce his client on the next adjournment so that we do not resort to coercive power.”

Lead Counsel Defence to be Heard by Court
In his reaction, Ibrahim’s counsel, A.M. Lawal, urged the court to permit the lead counsel to personally address the issue of the alleged undertaking.

Justice Onwuegbuzie granted the request stating that Ibrahim should be allowed to come before the court and answer the issue.

The application followed a bench warrant issued against Umar-Farouq on April 16 for her failure to appear for a scheduled arraignment with her co-defendants.

Following her absence, the EFCC declared the former minister wanted for the alleged offences.

Her lawyers told earlier proceedings she was in Egypt receiving medical treatment and medically unfit to attend the trial.

They later sought to have the arrest warrant dismissed, claiming health problems caused her to miss the hearing.

The EFCC opposed the application, insisting that the former minister must first submit to the court’s jurisdiction before seeking any relief.

The prosecution also asked the court to reject the medical reports submitted by the defence and to put an end to the further delay in the criminal proceedings.

The judge adjourned the case to July 2 for the defendants to be arraigned.

Umar-Farouq, who was the first Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and her co-defendants are facing trial on 21 counts bordering on alleged breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent award of contract and conversion of public funds valued at $1.3 million and N746,574,303.

The EFCC said the $1.3m was an excess fund paid by the ministry under the National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office for the validation of the Rapid Response Register beneficiaries.

The commission said the money was to be refunded by the contractor, Social Development by Visual ICT Limited, to the ministry.

But it alleged that rather than refund the money, Umar-Farouq and Alkali, then the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, diverted it to their “personal benefit”.

The EFCC said the offences were committed between May 8, 2021 and September 22, 2022 when Umar-Farouq was a minister.

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A father of 11 children and husband of two wives, Isa Isiaka, on Monday was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by Justice Binta Fatimah Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, for deliberately refusing to lodge information on the activities of Boko Haram to the Federal Government.

Isiaka was on Monday remanded in prison after pleading guilty to terrorism charges filed against him by the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF and Minister of Justice.

To save the court’s time, the accused pleaded guilty to the charge immediately after it was read.

AGF and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who appeared for the Federal Government, said the convict concealed information that would have led to immediate arrest of members of the proscribed Boko Haram sect.

But the convict begged the judge to be merciful to him saying he was a first offender and father to 11 children and husband to two wives.

However, Justice Binta Nyako in his judgment dismissed his plea as untenable and sentenced him to 20 years imprisonment without option of fine.

The post Father of 11 Jailed for 20 Years for Refusing to Report Boko Haram Activity appeared first on TheNigerian.

A former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva who is now at large has sunk deeper in trouble with the Nigerian authorities as investigations around him has taken another level.

This is as Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the interim forfeiture of nine properties traced to the former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources to the Federal Government.

The judge made the order after counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Oluwaleke Atolagbe, moved an ex parte motion.

Justice Egwuatu gave the ruling on April 24, while the enrolled order was seen on Wednesday, May 6, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Sylva was recently mentioned in an alleged plot to overthrow the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

The affected assets are in high value areas across Abuja.

They include four blocks of terraces at Dakibiyu; a duplex with penthouse and office complex at No 3, Niger Street, MStreet; one standalone duplex at Villa 1, Unit 1, Palm Springs Estate, Mpape; and a block of flats with 10 units of flats at No 8, Sefadu Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.

Others are blocks of flats with six units of flats at No. 1, Mubi Close, Garki, Abuja; two blocks with 12 units of flats at Plot 1181, Thaba Tseka Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja; one standalone duplex at No. 18, Nile Lake, Plot 1271, Maitama, Abuja;

The ninth property is a two block building occupied by National Information Technology Development Agency and is located at No. 5, Aguta Street, Garki, Abuja.

The judge said: “It is hereby ordered as follows: An interim order is made by this honourable court forfeiting the properties listed in the schedule attached herein being properties suspected to be proceeds of some unlawful activities pending the publication and hearing of the motion on notice for final forfeiture order of the said properties.

“An order of this honourable court is made directing the publication of the interim order under order (1) above for anyone interested in the property to appear before this honourable court to show cause within 14 days why the final order of forfeiture should not be made in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Justice Egwuatu further granted the EFCC’s request that the order be published in any two of the following newspapers: Thisday, Guardian, PUNCH, Vanguard, Tribune or Independent Newspapers in seven days from receipt of the certified true copy of the order.

The judge then adjourned the matter to May 25 for a compliance report.

The commission made the application in suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/607/2026 under the relevant provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.

Atolagbe who moved the motion, asked for an interim order forfeiting the properties to the Federal Government pending publication and hearing of the motion on notice for final order of forfeiture of the said properties.

He said the properties were suspected to be proceeds of some criminal activities.

The lawyer asked the court to direct the anti-graft agency to publish the order in any national newspaper for any interested person in the properties to show cause within 14 days why the final order of forfeiture should not be made in favour of the Federal Government.

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On Wednesday, a High Court in the Federal Capital Territory in Maitama, Abuja, gave ₦100 million bail to Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, a factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Turaki, who used to be the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, was brought before Justice Peter Kekemeke on a single charge of allegedly giving the police false information.

The Inspector-General of Police filed the charge, which was marked CR/647/2026. It said that he gave false information in a petition dated October 5, 2022.

The charge says that “you… gave false information to the Inspector-General of Police via a petition dated October 5, 2022.”

According to the police, the crime is punishable by Section 140 of the Penal Code Law. When the charge was read in open court, Turaki said he was not guilty.

His lawyer, Abulaziz Ibrahim (SAN), asked the court to let him out on bail, saying that the crime was bailable.

He said, “My Lord, this defendant is also the real leader of the PDP… an elder statesman, a former Minister, and a respected leader in the community.”

Usman Rabiu, the prosecution’s lawyer, opposed the application, saying that the defendant had avoided service and had not shown up for court until he was declared wanted.

He asked the court to keep Turaki in jail, saying that bail should only be given out carefully.

Justice Kekemeke said in his decision that bail is a basic right and that the defendant had willingly come to court.

The judge said that the prosecution didn’t show that Turaki was a flight risk. As a result, the court gave Turaki bail of N100 million and one surety of the same amount.

It said that the surety had to be a Senior Advocate of Nigeria with at least 20 years of experience or a lawyer with at least 40 years of experience.

The case was put off until June 11 for a hearing by Justice Kekemeke.

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On Monday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) gave nine pieces of evidence against Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, the immediate former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice.

Mashelia Arhyel Bata, the Fourth Prosecution Witness (PW4), a Compliance Officer with Zenith Bank Plc., presented the documentary exhibits at the start of the trial before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The former AGF, his wife Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami are all on trial for 16 counts of money laundering, corruption, and fraud.

The anti-graft agency is accusing the defendants of conspiracy, procuring, disguising, hiding, and laundering the proceeds of illegal activities worth N8,713,923,759.49.

The act that is being accused of is said to have gone against the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.

During the proceedings on Monday, prosecution lawyer Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, led the PW4 in evidence. He told the court that, as part of his official duties, he received letters from the EFCC asking for documents related to several accounts linked to the defendants and their businesses.

“I am a compliance officer at Zenith Bank’s Maitama branch. He said, “It is my job to get letters from law enforcement and respond to them as needed.”

Bata also said that the bank followed the EFCC’s requests by giving them both digital and physical copies of documents about the accounts of the defendants and companies like Rayhaan Hotels Limited, Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, Nashab Limited, Golden Age Global Ventures, and Rahamaniyya Properties Limited.

He said, “My lord, the documents are nine,” which meant he could tell them apart when they were shown in court.

The court allowed the documents, which were dated between July 19, 2024 and March 12, 2026, to be used as Exhibits D1 to D9. This was despite an initial objection from defense attorney Joseph Daudu, SAN, who said that “the dates are almost all in March.”

Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, a different prosecution lawyer, continued to question the witness, who gave more information about the transactions shown in the exhibits.

He said that Exhibit D1 had papers and statements for opening accounts for Abubakar Malami and A.A. Malami & Co. These accounts included a naira account and a dollar account.

He said that the statement of account for one of the accounts covered the time from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2023.

The witness said that the accounts were active from 2015 to 2023 and that “there were transfers within that time.”

He also said that between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2023, the total credits into one of the accounts were N383,637,21.55. From January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2015, the total credits were N560,506,465.12.

He said that between 2016 and 2023, N384,322,120.85 was recorded as debits, and between 2012 and 2015, N571,891,174.08 was debited.

The witness told the court that on November 11, 2020, New Horizons Limited sent N194,791,608.00 to the account, and on June 24, 2022, Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited sent N622,500,000.00 to the account.

He also said that Rayhaan Hotels Limited sent N250 million to the account on July 1 and July 7, 2022. On December 22, 2022, there was an inflow of N500 million linked to Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.

The witness went on to name so many transactions worth billions of naira in the same way.

After the testimony, Joseph Daudu SAN, the defense attorney, asked for a break so he could look over the evidence and get ready for cross-examination.

Daudu said, “My lord, we need time to look over the nine exhibits.”

Justice Abdulmalik then set May 13, 2026, as the date for the trial to continue.

The post EFCC Presents Nine Exhibits Against Malami, Wife, Son in Alleged N8.7bn Fraud Case appeared first on TheNigerian.

The Federal Government has charged six people with 13 counts in the Federal High Court in Abuja. These people include two retired senior military officers and a police officer who is still on duty. They are accused of being part of a plot to wage war against Nigeria and commit acts of terrorism.

Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (retd), Captain (NN) Erasmus Ochegobia Victor (retd), Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani are all named in the charge.

On Wednesday, April 22, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja will hear the case against the defendants.

Timipre Sylva, who used to be the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, is also named in the charge but is said to be on the run.

The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation filed the charge, which was signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo. It says that the defendants committed crimes that range from treason and terrorism to failing to share security intelligence and money laundering.

The main point of the case is that the defendants planned together in 2025 to bring down the Nigerian government.

The charge says they “conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” This is a crime under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.

The prosecution also said that the defendants knew about a planned act of treason involving Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but didn’t tell the authorities.

The charge said that they “did not give the information to the President or a Peace Officer with all reasonable speed, knowing that it was intended to commit treason.”

They were also accused of not doing anything to stop it from happening.

The charge went on to say, “They did not make any reasonable efforts to stop the crime from happening.”

The defendants are also being charged with terrorism under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The Federal Government said that they “planned together to commit an act of terrorism in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were accused of going to meetings that were connected to terrorist activities.

Prosecutors said they did this “in order to promote a political ideology that could seriously threaten the constitutional structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The charge also said that the defendants helped terrorists in some way. It said that they “knowingly and indirectly” helped make terror acts happen.

The prosecution also said that the defendants hid important information that could have stopped the acts from happening.

₦50 million and other money linked to terrorism financing
The case also includes claims of money laundering that are connected to financing terrorism.

It was said that Bukar Kashim Goni “indirectly kept the total amount of ₦50,000,000, which is part of the money made from an illegal act, namely terrorism financing.”

People said that Abdulkadir Sani kept ₦2 million from the same source.

It was said that Zekeri Umoru “accepted a cash payment of ₦10,000,000 without going through a bank,” and he also kept N8.8 million that was thought to be money used to fund terrorism.

There were also claims that Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim took ₦1 million that was connected to the supposed scheme.

The Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, was used to bring all of the financial charges.

The post FG Files Treason Charges Against Timipre Sylva and Alleged Coup Plotters (See Full List) appeared first on TheNigerian.

The Kwara State Government has taken former Senate President Bukola Saraki, former Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed, and others to court for culpable homicide in connection with the Offa robbery. If they are found guilty, they could face the death penalty.

The government officially charged the defendants with 20 counts of giving weapons to top suspects in the tragic Offa armed robbery that happened in April 2018.

Ahmed’s Chief of Staff, Yusuf Abdulwahab, and another aide, Alabi Olalekan, were also charged along with Saraki and Ahmed.

If found guilty, the two former governors of the state and other defendants could get the death penalty.

The long-awaited trial with charge No: kWS/114C/26 came after the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction of the suspects, including Ayo Akinnibosun, who had confessed during the trial to being a hit man for Saraki’s political dynasty.

Attorney-General of Kwara State Ibrahim Sulyman filed the charge on April 9, 2026. The defendants would get the charge on Friday, April 17, 2026.

Saraki and the other defendants were charged with culpable homicide and criminal conspiracy, among other things. They would appear in front of Hon. Justice Haleemah Salman of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on June 4.

In 2018, the Kwara State Government House and a government ministry were searched for vehicles and other items that could be linked to the crime scenes. These items were then used as evidence in the trial, which led to the suspects’ convictions.

Saraki had said he didn’t know Akinnibosun, but they had been seen together in pictures taken at Saraki’s child’s wedding. After the same bank robbery, Akinnibosun and his gang members also took Saraki to Offa to pay their respects.

The post Offa Robbery: Saraki, Ahmed Face Culpable Homicide Charges, Risk Death Penalty appeared first on TheNigerian.

On Wednesday, a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, let go of Mike Nwalie, a well-known socialite and nightclub owner known as Pretty Mike, after agreeing with his argument that there was no case against him in a drug-related trial.

Justice Ambrose Lewis-Alagoa also let go of the club’s supervisor, Joachim Hillary, saying that the prosecution didn’t have enough evidence to prove their case against the defendants.

The Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had charged the two with three counts of conspiracy, illegal possession of drugs, and allowing drug activities to take place on club property.

The charges came after the NDLEA raided Pretty Mike’s nightclub in Victoria Island on October 26. The agency said they found 169 cylinders of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) weighing 384.662 kilograms, as well as 200 grams of cannabis sativa.

The prosecution said that the drugs were meant for use at an illegal drug party and tried to connect the defendants to their possession and storage. They also asked for the nightclub to be closed down.

At the end of the prosecution’s case, the defense lawyer, Chikaosolu Ojukwu (SAN), filed a no-case submission. He said that the evidence was weak and did not directly link the defendants to the crimes they were accused of.

He said that suspicion alone couldn’t support a criminal charge and that the prosecution didn’t prove that the defendant owned, controlled, or knew about the drugs.

He said that the legal requirement for a prima facie case had not been met, so the defendants did not need to open their defense.

Justice Lewis-Alagoa agreed with the defense in his decision, saying that the prosecution’s case did not have the strong and convincing evidence needed by law.

The court said that the accusations were, at best, just suspicions and didn’t give the defendants a reason to defend themselves.

After the decision, the court upheld the no-case submission and let both Pretty Mike and Hillary go, effectively ending the criminal proceedings at the preliminary stage.

The post Court Frees Pretty Mike as NDLEA Case Collapses appeared first on TheNigerian.

On Monday, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) changed the corruption charges against Nasir El-Rufai, who used to be the governor of Kaduna State, at the Kaduna State High Court.

The change meant that Amadu Suleiman, the second defendant and Managing Director of TMDK Terminal Limited, was no longer part of the case.

The ICPC said in a statement on Monday that its lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, told the court that the original joint charge had been changed because Suleiman was still not there, supposedly because of health problems.

The court then approved the request, letting the prosecution move forward with the case against El-Rufai alone.

After the change, the former governor was charged with nine crimes under a number of laws, such as the Kaduna State Penal Code, the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, the Advance Fee Fraud Act, and the Kaduna State Public Procurement Law.

El-Rufai said he was not guilty of any of the charges.

After the plea was entered, the prosecution asked the court to set a trial date and make sure the defendant was there for the whole thing.

The defense lawyer, on the other hand, asked for bail on easy terms, saying that there was a pending application in court.

The court put off making a decision on the bail application until Tuesday, April 14, after hearing from both sides. El-Rufai will stay in ICPC custody until then.

The New Charges Against El-Rufai
The Advance Fee Fraud Act and the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2006, were used to bring charges against Mr. El-Rufai.

The ICPC said in the first count that Mr. El-Rufai used false pretenses to get the Kaduna State Government to pay ₦11 billion to Indokaduna MRTS JV Nigeria Limited, which the commission called an unregistered entity, for a light rail project that was never built.

The commission said that the act in question goes against the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.

The second charge says that he used his position to give himself an unfair advantage.

The ICPC said in the third count that Mr. El-Rufai got ₦289.8 million as severance pay in January 2023, which is much more than the legal amount of about ₦20 million. The Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 says that he knew or should have known that the extra payment was part of the money made from illegal activity.

The fourth count says that between September 2017 and March 2023, he took control of $320,800 that Joel Adoga paid in installments into his Guaranty Trust Bank domiciliary account. The commission said that this money was the result of corruption.

The ICPC said in the fifth count that Mr. El-Rufai got $155,800 from Peter Akagu Jones in May 2022 into the same account. Jones is said to be on the run, and the money came from illegal activity.

The sixth count says that he got $305,300 from Ajayi Ayodele in May 2022 under similar circumstances.

The ICPC said in the seventh and eighth counts that he got $5,000 from different people in April and June 2016, which they said were the result of illegal activity.

After the charge was changed, the commission also said that the former governor had received other amounts in foreign currency and hid where they came from.

The ICPC charged El-Rufai with ten counts of fraud, converting public property, and money laundering, among other things. He said he was not guilty.

After a number of court appearances in both state and federal courts, the charge has been changed.

The post ICPC Explains Reasons for Amending El-Rufai’s Corruption Case appeared first on TheNigerian.

On Monday, there was some drama at the Kaduna State High Court when former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai was heard talking about the upcoming national convention of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The news comes at a time when tensions are rising in the opposition party. They have insisted on going ahead with the convention even though the Independent National Electoral Commission has warned them not to.

El-Rufai got to the court around 9 a.m. and was seen talking to one of his supporters for a short time before the case began.

The former governor was walking to the courtroom with his legal team while wearing a white babbanriga and an ash-colored cap. He was holding a document.

“So, the Convention is tomorrow, right?” El-Rufai was quoted by Daily Trust as saying.

His loyalist is said to have said, “God’s willing.”

It was said that El-Rufai smiled after that and then walked into the courtroom with one of his wives.

Despite warnings from INEC, the ADC has stuck to its plan to hold its national convention on Tuesday.

The electoral umpire had already told political parties not to hold conventions that might not follow the rules, which raised concerns about possible disputes and questions about the legitimacy of the conventions.

Even so, the ADC leaders have promised not to back down, which could lead to a fight with the electoral body.

There were more security guards at the Kaduna State High Court, and they were stationed inside and outside the building.

Officials also kept an eye on major roads leading to the court to make sure that law and order didn’t break down during the trial.

Reports say that El-Rufai is on trial with a man named Amadu Sule for claims of abuse of office, fraud, intent to commit fraud, and giving someone an unfair advantage.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission brought the charges.

The case is not the same as another one that is still going on in the Federal High Court in Kaduna. A bail application is set to be heard there on Tuesday.

The ADC said that the prosecution of El-Rufai was politically motivated in response to the trial.

The party said that the Federal Government was behind a witch hunt against people in the opposition.

People in the party said that the lawsuit against the former governor was part of a larger effort to silence the opposition before future elections.

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