A corruption and administrative crisis is unfolding at the Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research (NITR), Kaduna, following the tracking of a multi-million-naira project fund diversion and a plot to sack a whistleblower.
Leaked internal documents obtained by our correspondent point to an alleged syndicate involving the misappropriation of federal project funds, systemic administrative fraud, and a campaign to terminate a senior research officer, Dr. Rolayo T. Emmanuel.
Investigation revealed that the crisis boiled over when the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute, Dr. Joachim Joseph Ajakaiye, allegedly directed that federal funds allocated for the 2024 Disease Surveillance and Control Project be bypassed and paid directly into a private commercial bank account.
The proxy account, held with First City Monument Bank (FCMB), is allegedly controlled by close allies of the DG, identified as the Acting Director of Finance and Accounts, Mrs. B.U. Michael, and an associate, Haruna Saidu.
Emmanuel, who served as the Assistant Director of Research and Head of the National AU-PATTEC (Pan-African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign) project office, reportedly resisted the directive, maintaining that moving public funds into personal accounts flatly violates Nigeria’s Public Service Rules (PSR), ICPC Act and financial regulations governing public procurement.
In retaliation for her refusal to release the project funds which have now been designated as vital exhibits in an ongoing anti-graft probe, the DG allegedly launched a calculated corporate campaign to flush her out of the service.
Leaked official communications show a trail of contradictory administrative orders designed to terminate Dr. Emmanuel’s employment under the guise of “absenteeism.”
SaharaReporters learnt that initially, the DG engineered a punitive, involuntary deployment ordering her to report to the North East Zonal Office in Gombe, replacing her with a lower-cadre ally. However, after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) launched a full-scale probe into the alleged fraud and made Emmanuel a prime witness, the management issued a containment order.
An official letter dated April 10, 2026 (Ref No: 3539/TR/314), signed by Zayyanu S. Magini on behalf of the DG, explicitly ordered Emmanuel to remain in Kaduna to face the ICPC probe but barred her from entering the institute’s vicinity.
In a dramatic twist, another internal memo dated June 30, 2026 (Ref No: 3119/TR/390), signed by the Acting Director of HRM, Okposio George, directed the Gombe office to issue an emergency report on why Emmanuel had failed to report to her duty post, setting up a pretext to stop her salary. This violates a direct, subsisting official restriction placed on her by the Management.
The letter was titled: “Letter of confirmation on whether Dr. Rolayo T. Emmanuel, Assistant Director (Research) has reported to her duty post at North East Zonal Office, NITR, Gombe.”
It partly read: “NITR Management Committee, during its 265th meeting (Emergency) in conjunction with the three Unions, ASURI, SSAUTHRIAI and NASU held on Tuesday 24th June, 2026 deliberated on the above subject.
“Accordingly, I am directed to request you to forward a detailed report on whether Dr. Rolayo T. Emmanuel, Assistant Director (Research) has reported to her duty post and performing her scheduled responsibilities in compliance with the directive in a letter with Ref.No:FMIST/PARA/104/V dated 23rd February, 2026 from the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology (FMIST), arising from the Report of the Senior Staff Appointment, Promotion and Disciplinary Committee (SSAPDC) meeting held on 15th January, 2026.
“Your submission should reach the Director General/CEO as soon as you receive this letter.”
However, insiders revealed that the administrative manipulation turned physical when Ajakaiye, acting beyond his powers, deployed armed personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to the NITR gates with strict instructions to physically block Dr. Emmanuel from entering her workplace before she had even been served the written bar notice.
Furthermore, the Director-General stands accused of grave administrative misconduct, including fraud and hooliganism.
According to sources, Ajakaiye allegedly compiled and circulated a falsified internal investigation report. This document reportedly omitted Dr. Emmanuel’s formal defence appendices, expunged critical witness testimonies, and inserted fabricated charges, while retaining the signature page from the original investigation committee to lend it false legitimacy.
Armed with this report, the DG allegedly misled oversight bodies within the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, as well as the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation. As a result, interventions by the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) were delayed.
Sources allege that the Director-General has openly boasted to close associates that “money clears any road in Nigeria,” claiming he successfully compromised investigation orders issued by the Senate.
Meanwhile, the psychological and professional strain on the institute’s staff has reached a breaking point. In an emotional communication intercepted by SaharaReporters, a senior official described the daily torment within NITR, painting a picture of an agonizing work environment that has left employees demoralized and distressed.
“Ajakaiye is heavily drunk and obsessed with power that is NOT given to him… he rejects administrative advice given to him on the implications of his unruliness, but he always tagged such the ‘enemy within’. If you resist him, you are tagged and called names,” one of the sources said.
The source further revealed that whenever staff members are summoned by the anti-graft agency, the Director-General reacts with open paranoia, accusing them of leaking incriminating information.
As tensions escalate, staff and civil society groups have issued a direct and urgent appeal to federal authorities to safeguard the institutional integrity of NITR Kaduna from total collapse.
They are demanding that the Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF) immediately suspend Dr. Joachim Joseph Ajakaiye and establish an independent panel to investigate allegations of administrative fraud and the unlawful deployment of armed guards against civil servants.
In addition, they have called on ICPC Chairman Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN) to invoke statutory Whistleblower and Witness Protection powers, issuing a cease-and-desist order to secure Dr. Emmanuel’s salary and prosecuting the management under Section 20 of the Witness Protection and Management Act, 2022.
A direct appeal was also addressed to the Minister of Women Affairs, urging intervention in what has been described as a textbook case of systemic workplace harassment, intimidation, and economic violence targeting a senior female professional.
When contacted for comment, officials at NITR headquarters declined to respond, citing the ongoing ICPC investigation. Repeated calls to the DG’s official lines also went unanswered at the time of filing this report.
(SaharaReporters)