A Faiz Muhammad (sometimes known as Faiz Muhammad Ali or Faiz Muhammad Aliyu) who was employed as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at She Writes Woman (www.shewriteswoman.org) from August 2021 to July 2022 is no longer an employee of the organisation.
As the COO, Faiz Muhammad’s job description was limited to managing the team, partnerships and programmes, and his contract did not involve any form of counselling/psychological/therapeutic interaction, a statement by the Management noted.
However, recent reports as well as findings uncovered by the Organisation show that Faiz Muhammad leveraged the reputation of the Organisation and its official channels to, without any authority nor permission, charge fees for the free services the Organisation renders and collect monies (which he diverted into private bank accounts) from beneficiaries of She Writes Woman under the unsubstantiated guise of being a therapist – an act that could endanger the beneficiaries’ lives and wellbeing.
“In line with our values and duty of care, She Writes Woman has petitioned the FCT police to investigate and immediately apprehend Faiz Muhammad on grounds of suspected fraud, obtaining under false pretense and possible forgery amongst other offenses.
“We urge the general public to play an active role in protecting people that access mental healthcare by sharing this disclaimer and caveat emptor to those who they think may be vulnerable. It is our collective responsibility to keep an eye out for those who threaten the safety of mental healthcare and seek to prey on the vulnerabilities of people.
“As She Writes Woman, we advise all our stakeholders to refrain from conducting any dealings with Faiz Muhammad who is no longer a staff of the organisation.
“We call on all who may have made payment to or engaged in any counseling, psychological or therapeutic relationships with Faiz Muhammad to alert She Writes Woman immediately by sending an email to ethics@shewriteswoman.org*
“To access immediate mental health support, please call SWW’s 24/7 toll-free mental health helpline on 0800 800 2000 to speak with qualified counsellors”, the Statement concluded.
