Winner – Lami Sadiq

‘How Abuja syndicate lured minor for kidney harvest’ published in the Daily Trust Newspaper by Lami Sadiq brought to the fore how professionals ‘thrive’ in unprofessionalism. It exposed the commercialisation of kidneys and the conspiracy that goes on between organ harvesting syndicates and health facilities in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory.

The story uncovered how a member of staff of a top Abuja based private hospital lured and connived with a minor to obtain a court affidavit which declared him above 18 years and eligible to ‘donate’ a kidney without his parent’s consent; and exposed the hospital’s lack of due diligence in counselling ‘donors’ on the implication of kidney donation.

Her story also points out a policy gap in Nigeria’s National Health Act 2014 and calls for the establishment of a regulatory agency for organ harvesting and transplantation.

Commended – Omolabake Fasogbon

Omolabake Fasogbon, undertook a compelling investigation into the incessant building collapse in Lagos State, Nigeria. Her two-part report, ‘Inside story of Lagos building collapse where regulator mortgage lives for as low as N50,000, in ThisDay Newspaper, uncovered regulatory complicity behind building collapse in Lagos and how the authority is shielding major culprits from punishment that would have deterred infractions and prevent future tragedies. It detailed impunity and the ‘immunity’ enjoyed by culprits of building collapse, including erring regulatory officials and property owners.

Following the report, Lagos State Government issued a statement across media houses, admitting corruption and vowed to investigate compromising officials.

Winner – Kemi Busari

For five months in 2023, Kemi Busari, Editor of Dubawa by Premium Times, investigated ‘Baba Aisha Herbal Medicine’, a low-end herbal product that sells for just N100 and is touted to cure common diseases, including malaria, typhoid, ulcer, and rheumatism.

His investigative story ‘Baba Aisha, Nigeria’s fake doctor cashing out on deadly concoction that cures nothing’ published on Premium Times on June 10, 2023, used in-depth laboratory test to examine the production process of the concoction the actual content, the safety level, and the regulatory framework that allows the herbal concoction to thrive; and turned in alarming findings.

The concoction does not cure malaria or other diseases as it claimed; contains a cancer-causing substance, tartrazine yellow, three times the approved rate; the product damages vital human organs (kidneys, livers, and lungs) and kills.

Runner-Up – Beloved John

The story ‘London graduate school: The ‘degree mill’ selling fake honorary doctorate to Africans’ by Beloved John and published by The ICIR on 4 September 2023, probes the activities of a London-based institution awarding honorary doctorate degrees to Africans for a fee.

Using the Open Source OSINT and other investigative tools, John found that the London Graduate School and its partner, Common Wealth University, are unrecognised institutions selling fake honorary degrees to people, including political office holders in Africa. These degrees are marketed as prestigious and sought-after qualifications but lack the necessary academic rigor and legitimacy associated with genuine degrees.

Commended – Marcus Fatunmole

Published by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) on 31 January 2023, the story, ‘How North Korean runs illegal hospital patronised by the high and mighty in Abuja’ exposed a North Korean, Jongsu Kim, who ran a private health facility patronised by senior government officials, some from the Presidency.

The facility known as Lilu Specialist Hospital failed to meet all legal requirements, including registering in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where it operates, having a bank account, and paying taxes. Notwithstanding, the former Attorney-General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa was among its clients.

Commended – Ayodele Adeniran

The front-page photo story ‘Naira swap’ published 8 February 2023 in The Guardian by Ayodele Adeniran, a photojournalist with the newspaper, captured the difficult experience of Nigerians to get the new Naira notes at the peak of the currency swap crisis during the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The image tells the story of long waits for cash by some Lagos residents by an ATM machine.

Winner – Sharon Ijasan

Inspired by a letter from a worried brother, whose sister was trafficked from Lagos to Libya through Kano by land, Sharon Ijasan did a two-part investigative story titled, ‘Human trafficking sad realities of trafficked Nigerians in Libya, West-Africa’. The story aired 19 February and 22 May 2023 on Television Continental TVC News.

The story exposed the route many traffickers’ ply; brought to the fore that traffickers collaborate with transporters to perpetuate the crime; revealed the trafficker of a survivor; uncovered the sex camp where Nigerian girls are forced to sell their body.

As a result of this story, a survivor from the sex camp has resumed school and she is being sponsored by an individual who watched the broadcast; the government of Nigeria also promised to evacuate girls trafficked to Ghana, but till date the girls are still trapped in BANDA-KWANTA. The immigration service and NAPTIP have intensified efforts to stop the traffickers from trafficking persons through the Kano/Jigawa borders; and many arrests have been.

Commended – Folashade Ogunrinde

The story ‘#JusticeforBamishe: How lawyers’ absence, slack laws, courts’ apathy dampen families’ hope for justice’ by Folashade Ogunrinde, a news editor and producer with TV360, aired on 31 July 2023.

The investigative report looks at Nigeria’s justice system using the gruesome murder of three young Nigerian women (Bamishe Ayanwola, Deborah Samuel and Uwaila Omozuwa) between 2020 and 2022, which perhaps formed some of the country’s biggest profile of sexual and gender-based violence.

The report exposed the lapses in Nigeria’s justice system that promotes delayed justice, this report has set agenda for many civil society groups to push for a review of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State 2015 for more accountability in the judicial service.

Runner-Up – Victor Asowata

Victor Asowata is the cartoon editor, The Will Newspaper. His cartoon ‘Power grabbers, 2023’ published on 15 April 2023 illustrates how the old order grabbed power from the youth with INEC holding the youth not chase the politician that grabbed their mandate with a gun in his hands, which shows the desperation of the old order to grab power. It also showed the politician who grabbed the mandate telling the youth ‘I have snatched power you go to court!’.

The cartoon reminisces some of the alleged cases reported during the 2023 elections where politicians deployed arms, money and thugs to subvert the will the people. Till present, some of the cases are still in court.

Commended – Chukwuemeka Emenike

Published 22 December 2022, the cartoon ‘Failure of regulatory agencies’ by Chukwuemeka Emenike, Senior Cartoonist, in New Telegraph, exposes the failure of government regulatory agencies in carrying out their responsibilities, especially in acting a check on the excesses of politicians, public officers and institutions. It depicts a politician breaking the law with impunity while an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operative views shadows from a distance.

Specifically, the cartoon zoomed in on how a politician was having a bag of Naira and the electorates queued to exchange their PVCs for cash but instead of the EFCC Official focusing and stopping the corrupt practice, he was using the magnifying lens to ‘chase’ shadows while the politicians was confidently telling the electorate to ‘Fear him not…’