Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged abuse of office and diversion of public funds.
The anti-graft agency announced the development in a notice published on its official website on Friday, intensifying the legal troubles surrounding the former minister who served under late President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to the EFCC, Farouq, 52, an indigene of Zamfara State, is wanted in connection with ongoing investigations into alleged financial misconduct during her tenure as minister.
The commission disclosed that her last known address is EN008, Okpo River, off Agulu Street, Maitama, Abuja, and urged members of the public with useful information about her whereabouts to contact any of its offices nationwide.City & Local Guides
“The public is hereby notified that Sadiya Umar Farouq is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in an alleged case of abuse of office and diversion of public funds,” the notice stated.
The EFCC also provided contact telephone numbers and communication channels through which information leading to her arrest could be supplied.
Farouq was appointed Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development in July 2019 and became one of the youngest members of Buhari’s cabinet. During her tenure, the ministry supervised several major social intervention programmes, including the controversial National Social Investment Programme.
Her declaration as wanted comes weeks after a Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja, reportedly issued a warrant for her arrest on April 16, 2026.
The latest move by the EFCC signals a fresh escalation in the anti-corruption agency’s crackdown on alleged financial infractions involving former public officials. Newsmakerlive.
