The Criminal Intelligence Department of the Office of the Commissioner of Police in a report dated 30 January 2023 has confirmed the allegations levelled against former employee, Faiz Muhammad (sometimes known as Faiz Muhammad Ali or Faiz Muhammad Aliyu) who was employed at She Writes Woman Mental Health Initiative, from August 2021 to July 2022.
Recall that in a statement released on 12 October 2022, She Writes Woman cautioned the public on doing business with Faiz Muhammad under the guise of being an employee of the organisation. Though employed as an operations officer whose work was largely administrative, Faiz Muhammad leveraged the reputation of the organisation and it’s official channels to, without any authority nor permission, charge fees from beneficiaries of She Writes Woman for the free services the Organisation renders (fees he diverted into private bank accounts) under the unsubstantiated guise of being a therapist – an act that could endanger the beneficiaries’ lives and wellbeing.
Since the October 2022 statement, She Writes Woman has documented over 30 victims of Faiz Muhammad’s personal and professional misconduct, most of whose interactions were beyond the scope and time as an employee of the organisation. Victims’ allegations included his unqualified prescription of medication that consequently led to hospitalization for adverse reactions to psychiatric medications.
Findings by the FCT Police confirm that Faiz Muhammad has never earned a qualification as a “clinical psychologist”, “psychologist” or “therapist” as he had been claiming to the public since 2017, his victims and during the initial stages of the police investigation. Other victims reported sexual impropriety by Faiz Muhammad during therapeutic relationships amongst other allegations undergoing further investigations.
The Police investigative report confirmed the facts of the petition raised by She Writes Woman on suspected fraud, obtaining under false pretense and possible forgery including criminal breach of trust under which he defrauded the Organisation in excess of N3 million, asides the monies he collected from the organisation’s clients under false pretenses of being a therapist/counsellor/psychologist.
She Writes Woman uses this medium to commend all victims whose unwavering courage helped make this investigation possible. As an Organisation, it is truly an honour to support victims. We invite the general public to play a role in ensuring the protection of victims by sharing this statement far and wide.
Once again, we call on all who may have been victims of Faiz Muhammad’s personal actions and professional misconduct to make contact with us by emailing ethics@shewriteswoman.org in order to get professional support, including legal support in seeking justice or using your experience (anonymously or otherwise) to shine a light on the nuances of social issues surrounding this case in order to ensure that such awareness saves the next victim.
For immediate mental health support, please call our 24/7 toll-free mental health helpline on 0800 800 2000 to speak with qualified counsellors.
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