A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Kabiru Turaki over his failure to appear in court.
Justice Peter Kekemeke made the order on Thursday after Mr Turaki did not attend proceedings to answer a one-count charge filed by the Nigeria Police Force.
Turaki, a former minister and a factional national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is accused of giving false information to the police in a petition dated October 5, 2022.
The charge, marked FCT/HC/CR/647/25, was filed on November 15, 2025.
It alleges that he provided false information to the Inspector-General of Police, an offence punishable under Section 140 of the Penal Code Law.
Police prosecutor Usman Rabiu had asked the court to apply Section 143 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act to order Turaki’s arrest after he failed to appear in court on several occasions.
The case was initially before Justice K.N. Ogbonnaya but was later reassigned to Justice Kekemeke after Turaki wrote to the Chief Judge, raising concerns about the handling of the matter.
Justice Ogbonnaya had declined to issue a warrant before the case was transferred.
At the resumed hearing, Justice Kekemeke said there was no reason for the defendant’s absence, noting that he had been served with a hearing notice.
The court then ordered that Kabiru Turaki be arrested and brought before it for arraignment.
The case is linked to the ongoing leadership dispute within the PDP, where different factions have laid claim to party positions.
