Mr. Murtala Aliyu Ibrahim, Unit Head, ICT/Process Audit and Special Investigation, and his boss Mr. Taslim Anibaba of Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN)
Mr. Ibrahim and his boss, Mr. Anibaba, both auditors at the Bank, were severely punished for exposing a variety of contract fraud and refusal of Internal Audit Group to endorse the Bank’s 2016 Half-Year Income Validation Report. The Finance and Accounts Group had reported a surplus of income over expenditure of th
e sum of N423,653,187. But when the Internal Audit Group was directed by the management to validate the Finance Group’s submission, it found out it was actually a loss and not profit.
For exposing malfeasance and insisting that the 2016 Half-Year Report recorded a loss and not profit, the management descended heavily on Ibrahim and Anibaba. In the midst of his annual leave, Ibrahim was transferred from the Bank’s headquarters where his expertise was most needed as the most qualified professional accountant, to the office in Jalingo, Taraba State. On May 8, 2017, the Bank terminated his appointment. In August 2017, Anibaba was placed on indefinite suspension.
AFRICMIL intervened through a series of appeals to Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, whose Ministry supervises the Bank, to protect the whistleblowers by ordering their reinstatement and a cessation of further victimization. The advocacy eventually persuaded the Ministry to constitute of a panel of investigation into the matter. After a sitting that stretched through several weeks, the panel in December 2017 produced a report that recommended the lifting of Anibaba’s suspension and his return to work immediately.
Although the Bank recalled Anibaba as directed by the Ministry, he was transferred from the headquarters to the office in Port Harcourt.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim who has remained jobless since May 2017 is still battling for his own reinstatement. Although there are indications that the report recommended his recall, he has yet to be formally notified.
