An exclusive investigation by SaharaReporters, supported by leaked internal financial records, whistleblower testimonies, and government expenditure documents, has uncovered a sophisticated web of corruption at the Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research (NITR).
At the centre of the scandal is the Overseeing Director-General, Dr. Joachim Joseph Ajakaiye, who is accused of siphoning hundreds of millions of naira through phantom travels, payment for borrowed inventory, “kick-and-share” deals with union leaders, and the systematic use of staff names to bypass federal financial safeguards.
Documents obtained by SaharaReporters, including GIFMIS (Government Integrated Financial Management Information System) expenditure sheets for 2023 and 2024, reveal a pattern of “vague narratives” used to justify massive outflows of public funds to a select circle of loyalists and fronting contractors.
A police investigation report also indicted Dr. Ajakaiye for ₦391 million in unauthorized fraudulent expenditure from the NITR 2023 budget with the former board chairman of the institute.
The police subsequently charged him, along with members of the former board led by Alhaji Shehu Haruna Lambu, in suit KDH/KAD/44/23, which the police were forced to abandon after the former Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Chief Uchenna Nnaji, and the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, reportedly pressured the then-Inspector General of Police, Dr. Kayode Egbetokun, according to whistleblowers.
The investigative report, compiled by the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) of the Nigeria Police Force and dated May 15, 2023, paints a damning picture of administrative lawlessness.
It details how the former board chairman, Alhaji Shehu Haruna Lambu, and his associates bypassed presidential authority to install a parallel leadership in the person of Dr. Ajakaiye, effectively seizing control of the institute’s federal allocations.
The Genesis of the Crisis
The crisis began following the expiration of the old Governing Board’s tenure led by Alhaji Lambu. According to the complainant, former Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Senator Adeleke Olorunimbe Mamora, President Muhammadu Buhari had approved a new Governing Board and appointed Dr. Felicia N. C. Enwezor as the overseeing Director-General (DG) to ensure administrative continuity.
However, the report reveals that the Lambu-led board refused to vacate their positions, citing a National Industrial Court judgment, despite an appeal against the said judgment. In a move described by investigators as “forceful and illegal,” the board allegedly suspended Dr. Enwezor and appointed a rival overseeing DG, Dr. Joachim Ajakaiye.
“The board’s decision to appoint a parallel Director-General without the consent of the Presidency or the Ministry was proved to be illegal and a direct affront to constituted authority,” the police report stated.
At the heart of the police indictment is the alleged manipulation of the GIFMIS. Investigators found that the suspects successfully moved to have Dr. Enwezor’s name removed from the platform at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, replacing it with Dr. Ajakaiye in collaboration with staff in the office of the AGF who enabled it, despite repeated correspondence between the Minister and the Accountant General’s office to restore Dr. Enwezor.
This manoeuvre granted the “illegal” leadership access to the institute’s treasury. The report notes that Dr. Ajakaiye has since been authorizing payments from NITR accounts, including the oversight of a 2022 capital budget totaling approximately ₦391.6 million.
“This action was a clear conspiracy and abuse of office with the intent to misuse government funds,” the investigation concluded. “Unauthorized individuals cannot be allowed to preside over the disbursement of taxpayer money under the guise of an expired board mandate.”
The report, with Ref No: CB:4099/FIB/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.T/78 dated May 15, 2023, was signed by CP. Susan Akem-Horsfall, Commissioner of Police (INT), for: Assistant Inspector General of Police, Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB), Abuja.
The “Union Deal”: Silencing Protests with Vouchers
For years, NITR was known for its vibrant union activity. Under the previous tenure of Dr. Enwezor, the unions were vocal, eventually forcing her out of office. Today, that fire has been extinguished, and insiders say the reason is simple: the union leaders are on the payroll.
Whistleblowers allege that Dr. Ajakaiye has perfected a “repayment” scheme. Vouchers are prepared in the names of selected union executives for unexecuted travels or “official assignments” with intentionally vague descriptions. Once the money hits the union leaders’ accounts, they are allegedly instructed to withdraw the cash and return it to a “central collection point.”
“The Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI) support is how money is secretly paid to union leaders using vague official travel narratives,” a senior staff member told SaharaReporters on condition of anonymity. “That is why staff members are suffering and the unions are doing nothing. The ODG promised them contracts and paid them for travels they never embarked on.”
The “500-Litre” Travel Scam
One of the most brazen examples of financial recklessness at NITR involves the ODG’s own travel claims. Forensic analysis of the 2024 expenditure sheets and internal vouchers obtained by SaharaReporters reveals that Dr. Ajakaiye claimed to use 500 litres of fuel for a single official vehicle to travel from Kaduna to NITR Vom, Plateau State, a distance of about 250 kilometres.
Internal records show a double-dipping culture. On March 10, 2024, two separate payments of ₦394,250.00 were processed on the same day for the same trip. Furthermore, the overseeing Director-General is accused of claiming over ₦8 million in per diems, fuel costs, and driver allowances for “field surveillance” trips that never took place.
“He takes money for field surveillance and control trips without going,” the source stated. “The file is currently before the EFCC Kaduna.”
Identity Theft: Siphoning Through Ghost Beneficiaries
The investigation also uncovered a disturbing pattern of administrative victimization and identity fraud. In 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Kaduna reportedly summoned 19 staff members whose names appeared on the GIFMIS platform as beneficiaries of various payments.
Among them was Hauwa Sambo, a staff member currently studying in the United Kingdom. Sambo reportedly never received an alert or any of the funds, yet her name was used to siphon money for “vague reasons.” She has since reportedly instructed lawyers to sue the DG for using her identity to facilitate fraud.
Contract Frauds and “Night Supplies”
The Institute’s capital and overhead expenditures for 2023 and 2024 are riddled with what insiders call “kill and share” projects. Red-flagged entries in the Excel records indicate that many supplies paid for were never truly delivered to the stores.
The method is described as a “borrowed inventory” scam: a contractor (often a front for the ODG) “delivers” items during the day, store records are updated to show delivery, and the items are surreptitiously moved out at night and returned to the stores they were borrowed from.
Victims of the “Ajakaiye Regime”
The list of staff members who have faced “punitive transfers” and “administrative victimization” for resisting the corruption is growing. They include: Mr. Sunday Audu, Mrs. Kehinde Okoh, Mr. John Agbaka, Mr. Kabiru Magaji (who was forced to transfer his service), Mr. Ndagi Balat (Retired auditor), and Dr. Rolayo Emmanuel. She was reportedly transferred twice in four months.
“All transfers are done without payment of statutory transfer allowances as stipulated in the Public Service Rules, indicating staged victimization of hardworking, brilliant female researchers who refused to compromise their integrity,” a staff member who spoke to SaharaReporters stated.
“A rumoured transfer of Mr. Moyijjo vanished like a fume in the air because he is a custodian of corruption evidence that can drown the DG in minutes…”
A check of the 2023 Overhead records shows several payments to these individuals, such as ₦7,000 “In Lieu of Refreshment” for management meetings, which insiders suggest are pittance payments used to populate GIFMIS while larger sums move through more clandestine channels.
For instance, Serial No. 780 with code PI-00940381, Purchase in IBSUN Concept, item: 10ml syringes on 13/12/23, cost ₦5,411,714.72. Insiders told SaharaReporters that the items were borrowed inventory.
Meanwhile, “the syringes in the institute’s store have reportedly expired since 2017 and the ones bought by his predecessor had been used up. He has not bought a single syringe since he hijacked the position with his accomplices in 2022 till date,” a source familiar with the procurement told SaharaReporters on condition of anonymity.
Serial No. 820 with code 536839-1, ₦2 million was paid on 13/12/2023 to Olusegun Ayandeji Samuel for alleged settlement for 1% annual payroll contribution on industrial training funds.
This is another scam, an internal audit report indicated, adding that the fund was never used for the purpose of IT (Industrial Training). No. 154 with code PI-00768028, a total of ₦4,417,060.00 was paid on 7/3/2023 for a vague drug purchase tagged ‘Item Drugs’ to IBSUN Concept Limited, which staff members said did not exist.
₦2,748,847.10 was paid to NAT-MAJAD Ventures Limited on 22/02/2023 for ‘ASSET’. On 22/06/2023, a total of ₦4,418,940.00 was paid for ITEM: Auto Bio Reagent HCV. This payment, staff told SaharaReporters, was a false claim.
On 20/10/2022, after hijacking the office of ODG and changing the signatory of the subsisting ODG, Dr. Enwezor, at the Office of the Accountant General, Dr. Ajakaiye paid himself ₦490,000 with payment code 433006-1 for DTA to participate at the Forum of African Research and Innovation (FAR) in Abuja. On 18/10/2022, he also paid himself ₦510,800.00 for DTA to Abuja for what was described as follow-up and discussion on all necessary requirements for the construction of the mass (tsetse) rearing facility. The payment code is 432584-1.
In another vague payment made to Tahir Investment Nigeria Limited, first on 26/10/2022 with track code PI-00671797, he paid ₦1,318,448.70 for purported PT Reagent. On the same 26/10/2022 with track code PI-00671798, another ₦2,362,760.49 was paid for furniture. On the same date, with track code PI-00671799, a total of ₦8,317,682.79 was paid for office executive chairs. On the same 26/10/2022, with track code PI-00671802, another ₦6,500,000.00 was paid for feed. All the payments were made to one company.
On 9/11/2022, with track code PI-00682056, a total of ₦2,171,846.41 was paid to SAN-AFRAH NIG. LTD for a 15% mobilization fee for a contract awarded for the expansion of tsetse fly mass rearing facilities at NITR Vom, Plateau State, but workers said such a project was not executed.
With track code 437289-15, Dr. Ajakaiye paid himself ₦770,000 on 10/11/2022 for DTA for a research trip on parasitological baseline data collection and treatment in Gombe State, yet he did not make the trip.
With track code 437289-26 on 10/11/2022, he paid himself ₦100,000 for an advance to purchase fuel for the same research trip, yet he did not make the trip.
On 1/12/2022, he paid ₦16,107,920.93 to Femimat Concept Limited for communication equipment with track payment code PI-00690290. Despite the payment, sources told SaharaReporters that no communication equipment was supplied to the institute.
On 04/02/2022, he paid ₦1,870,452.67 to Birdwell Integrated Services Ltd for an executive table. On 13/12/2023, he paid ₦9,058,664.06 to Property Guide International Limited for steel rule. On the same day, ₦5,411,714.72 was paid to IBSUN Concept Limited for 10ml syringes. ₦6,538,236.52 was paid to Yubaj Nig. Ltd for printer toners. On the same day, Afro Marine Shipping Line Ltd was separately paid ₦1 million for a standing AC and ₦2,794,218.31 for another standing AC.
An analysis of the 2024 GIFMIS expenditure records also reveals a pattern of high-volume fuel claims and “vague” travel narratives associated with specific transaction codes, particularly under the Employee Payable document type.
The 500-Litre Fuel Claims and Duplicate Payments
The records confirm the whistleblower’s allegations regarding inflated fuel claims and suspicious timing of payments:
On March 10, 2024, two identical payments of ₦394,250.00 were processed under Document No. 634409-1 and 634409-2 for trips to Vom, Plateau State.
Both transactions are described as “Being payment of DTA (Duty Tour Allowance) and fueling to attend interactive sessions with the House Committee on restructuring of federal agencies.”
The whistleblower identifies these specific entries as the “500-litre” claims, noting that the amount is “not actual” and “inflated” for a single vehicle trip to Vom, Plateau State.
Matching “Vague” Expenditure Patterns
The transaction codes and metadata associated with these fuel claims match several other suspicious entries in the 2024 budget.
The inflated fuel claims (634409 series) were all finalized by Balami Jonah on the same date (March 10, 2024).
Similar “vague” descriptions appear in other high-value transactions finalized by Balami Jonah, such as: ₦446,360.00 (Doc 634409-4) for “hospitality and other logistics for oversight visit at Presidential Banquet Hall, Abuja,” which is explicitly flagged in the records as “Not actual amount – inflated”.
POLICE REPORT ON NITR.pdf
The system shows a trend of processing multiple “Employee Payable” vouchers for the same individuals (e.g., Olusegun Ayandeji Samuel and Michael Bernadette) on the same day for related or identical narratives, often involving travel to Abuja or Plateau State.
The 2024 “vague” travel codes appear to be an escalation of a pattern seen in the 2023 Overhead records:
In 2023, the command frequently used Document No. series (e.g., 550439-1 through 550439-7) to process identical ₦7,000.00 payments to various management members, including Kehinde Okoh and Bernadette Michael, for “In Lieu of Refreshment”.
While the 2023 transactions were for smaller amounts, they established the “vague narrative” and “multiple beneficiary” code structure that was later used for the multi-hundred-thousand-naira fuel and DTA claims in 2024.
A Call for Forensic Audit
The whistleblowers are now calling on the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, as well as the Presidency, to move beyond “routine audits,” which the DG has allegedly learned to evade through falsified retirements.
“A deal exists that can only be uncovered if a forensic investigation is conducted on budget execution and a physical store inventory is matched against the GIFMIS records,” a source said.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere at NITR remains tense. For the researchers dedicated to fighting Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), the real disease seems to be the systemic corruption currently devouring their institute from the top down.
When contacted by SaharaReporters via telephone, Dr. Ajakaiye denied any wrongdoing and invited the correspondent to Kaduna for a meeting with him, the union, and the management.
He said, “What I can tell you is that I run a transparent and open policy in government at NITR. However, I cannot be bantering words over the air like this. It is not wise. If it is possible, you people can come down to NITR.
“You are free to come. NITR is in Kaduna. When you come, you will meet me, the union, and the management, and we will get things right.”
“Under Civil Service Rules, I’m supposed to be seen, not to be speaking out because we are guided by public service rules. I don’t want to speak so many things. When you come down, you will hear,” Ajakaiye said.
When SaharaReporters reached out to the Police Spokesman, DCP Anthony Okon Placid, he declined to comment, repeatedly rejecting calls and failing to respond to text messages seeking clarification on the police investigation report and the discontinuation of the case at the Kaduna State High Court.
Meanwhile, efforts to contact the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Mr. Kingsley Udeh (SAN), were unsuccessful, as he did not answer calls or respond to messages requesting his reaction to the incident and the ministry’s failure to act on the police investigation report. As of the time of filing this report, he had yet to reply.