The Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Auditors (CIFIA) on Wednesday raised the alarm over threat to the life of its Protem President, Victoria Enape, by perpetrators of financial fraud.

The organisation said the threats and attacks became has been reinforced by the push by Enape for the CIFIA Bill in Nigeria.

She told journalists that contrary to allegations levelled against her by “disgruntled persons” that she was promoting a bill seeking to establish the Institute for selfish gains, those behind the attack on her person were perpetrating financial fraud because of the dearth of forensic and investigative experts in the country.

She said: “My attention has been drawn to the calumnious publication of 4th June 2018 in an infamous online medium insidebusinessonline.com regarding my role in promoting the Chartered Institute of Forensic and Investigative Auditors Bill, 2018, currently under consideration by the National Assembly (Senate).”

Enape explained that those behind the attack were out to distract her and other competent forensic auditors in Nigeria, in order to continue to perpetrate financial fraud for which they are known.

She said: “In what is obviously a hatchet job orchestrated by some disgruntled persons who would rather continue to take advantage of the dearth of forensic and investigative experts in Nigeria to perpetrate financial fraud, the authors of this malicious publication had two discernible objectives in mind.

“Firstly, to distract me from playing my role as a pro-tem President of CIFIA by maligning my reputation, by discrediting my academic credentials and professional competence to promote the passage CIFIA Bill, and secondly dissuade the Senate from giving the Bill favourable consideration.”

The publication had alleged the financial expert of taking the proposed institute as a family business, adding that she parades what the publication referred to as ‘opaque multiple certificates and a PhD from a non-existing university’.

But clarifying the allegation, Enape said there is no provision in the drafted document that will create the institute, which will make her a life member of the institute’s Board of Trustees (BoT) if finally gotten the approval of the Senate.

She said: “As a thoroughbred and accomplished professional with strong family and religious values who guard her reputation jealously, I deem it appropriate to defend my family name and professional passion by setting the records straight especially as its concerns my selfless and altruistic involvement with the promotion of the noble objectives of CIFIA as well as my academic and professional accomplishment which forms the basis for the former.

“With respect to the spurious allegation that CIFIA is a family affair and the CIFIA Bill when passed would pave way for the perpetuation of the interest of the Enapes, it is important to point out that there is no provision of the CIFIA Bill that makes the Enapes life members of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Forensic and Investigative Auditors (AFIA) or life members of the Governing Council of the CIFIA.

“Clause 4 of the CIFIA Bill under consideration by the Senate provides for the election, qualification and tenure of the President, Vice President, and other officials of the CIFIA and nowhere is it provided that the above offices are hereditary or based on blood ties to the Enape family.

“These offices are opened to all members who possess certain professional qualifications stipulated under clause 4(6) of the Bill and not dependent on members’ ties to the Enapes.

“It should equally be recalled here for clarity that prior to the instant CIFIA Bill currently under consideration by the Senate, AFIA, Canada appointed me as its representative in Nigeria with a mandate to promote the training and certification of the much needed forensic and investigative auditors in the country.

“During this period, it became obvious to me that there is an urgent need for the establishment of an indigenous association of forensic and investigators of Nigeria to cater for the peculiar professional needs of such experts in the country, hence AFIA was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Abuja on June 17, 2016,” Enape explained.

She, however, urged the general public and entire members of National Assembly not to be dissuaded from passing the bill as soon as possible.

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