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How Premium Times beat Al-Jazeera and BBC to win award for the best Investigative journalism

Arguably the best and one of the most reputable news media in Nigeria, PremiumTimes has scooped the award for the winner of the Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC) which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Media outfit won the award for a two-part story “Inside the Massive Extrajudicial Killings in Nigeria’s South-East‘‎ and ‎’How the Onitsha Massacre of Pro-Biafra Supporters was Coordinated” which exposed the extra-judicial killings of Indigenous People of Biafra’s (IPOB) protesters.

The story was written by Emmanual Mayah; a winner of several awards and edited by Musikilu Mojeed who has also won FAIR’s Editor’s Courage Award before now.

According to the investigation, which lasted for two months, uncovered the multiple mass graves and was supported with photo evidence which prompted human rights groups to call for an independent probe and the Army also announced that an investigation will be conducted.

The award, which drew 211 submissions from 67 countries, was for stories that were published or broadcasted between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.

It honoured investigative journalism that was done with minimal resources amid duress, real threats and intimidation.

David E. Kaplan, Executive Director of the Global Investigative Journalism Network noted that : “By honouring the extraordinary work of these journalists at risk, we pay tribute to all the good work being done in so many places where courageous journalists keep the flame of watchdog reporting alive.

 “The competition this year was extraordinary despite the global backlash against quality journalism, this shows that investigative reporting is alive and well around the world.”

Premium Times has also won several awards in the past, including Wole Soyinka Investigative Reporting Awards in 2013, African Fact-Checking Award in 2015, CNN Multichoice African Journalist of the Year Awards in 2016, among others

Other stories that were nominated are:

“Project No. 1,” Beladi TV channel, Iraq (2016)

 Investigation by: Asaad Al-Zalzali

The story exposed the magnitude of corruption in the country’s Ministry of Education and led to a conviction and a settlement that returned half the stolen money.

“Justice,” Tiger Eye PI, Ghana (2015), Al Jazeera English (2017), Insight TWI. 

The team: Anas Aremeyaw Anas, Philip Clothier, Paul Sapin and Raphael Rowe

A two-year undercover investigation produced evidence of 34 judges and over 100 clerks accepting bribes to rule a certain way in court cases. Following the release of a three-hour documentary and the publication of newspaper reports, 25 judges were removed from office and a number of judicial staff were relieved of their duties.

“The Jungle Gangs of Jharkhand” Hindustan Times, India (2016). 

The team: Kumar Sambhav Shrivastava and Athar Rather

The investigation looked into a collaboration between security agencies in the Indian state of Jharkhand and rogue armed groups fighting Maoist insurgents. Data and narrative collected during the investigation showed that local communities were victimized more often by the state-supported gangs than by the insurgency. After publication, India’s National Human Rights Commission called for an independent inquiry.

“Dirty Gold: Chasing the Trace of the London Bullion Market,” Ojo Público, Peru (2015). 

Team: Óscar Castilla, Nelly Luna, Fabiola Torres and Audrey Córdova

The investigation identified American and Swiss companies that were buying gold illegally mined in Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile. After publication, US, Swiss, Chilean and Peruvian authorities launched their own probes into the companies and their associates, resulting in arrests of several individuals implicated in the schemes.

“Death in Service,” BBC World and BBC Arabic, Egypt (2016).

 Reporter and producer: Mostafa ElMarsafawy; Camera: Alaa Elkamhawi, Mohamed Emad and Moahmed Fathi; Executive producer: Elizabeth C. Jones

An investigation into 13 military conscripts’ deaths uncovered abuse and, in some cases, allegations of murder. Authorities, meanwhile, worked to cover up the evidence. After the story aired, one of the officers featured in the investigation was sentenced to three years in jail. Reporter ElMarsafawy was accused of undermining security and stability in Egypt and forced to resign his job.

 “Making a Killing,” Balkan Investigative Reporting Network and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (2016) Reporters: Lawrence Marzouk, Ivan Angelovski and Miranda Patrucic; Additional reporting: Atanas Tchobanov, Dusica Tomovic, Jelena Cosic, Jelena Svircic, Lindita Cela, RISE Moldova, Pavla Holcova, Stevan Dojcinovic and Pavle Petrovic; Editors: Drew Sullivan, Jody McPhillips, Rosemary Armao, Gordana Igric and Anita Rice

The joint investigation uncovered an arms pipeline between Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East worth €1.2 billion. The weapons flow, reporters found, were being financed by Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE and Turkey, and systematically diverted to extremist groups, including the Islamic State. After the story was published, the European Union announced it would monitor the flow of weapons and several countries reviewed their policies.

“Wild Land: Violence, Devastation and Death in the Heart of Brazil,

 O Estado de S. Paulo, Brazil (2016). Reporters: Andre Borges and Leonencio Nossa; Photo and video: Dida Sampaio and Helvio Romero; Editor: Luciana Garbin

Journalists travelled 15,000 kilometres of government roads to investigate the theft of public lands and timber in the Amazon region of Brazil. The series exposed human rights abuses, corruption and elaborate profiteering schemes. It also included detailed information, including X-rays, on 1,309 individuals killed in land conflicts in rural Brazil over two decades.

“Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Coverup,” self-published, India (2016). Rana Ayyub

Reporter Rana Ayyub went undercover for nine months to record top officials speaking candidly about the 2002 riots in Gujarat, which left at least 1000 Muslims dead. When one of the targets of Ayyub’s investigation was poised to become the country’s new prime minister, Indian media houses got cold feet. Despite threats and surveillance, Ayyub self-published the transcripts that revealed complicity by India’s top officials in the attacks.

“Anbang Series” Southern Weekly, China (2015) 

Reporters: Li Weiao and Lv Minghe; Editors: Shu Mei and Su Yongtong

The investigation into China’s Anbang Insurance Group scrutinized the opaque company’s expansion into overseas investments, its complex strategies of mergers and acquisitions, and the frequently changing shareholding structure that includes former Communist Party leaders. Under pressure from Anbang and government authorities, the publisher was forced to remove the story from its website five days after publication. Nonetheless, industry insiders called the investigation a powerful exposé of the connection between money and political power in China.

“Corruption and Organized Crime,” Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia, Serbia (2016). Team: Dino Jahic, Ivana Jeremic, Milica Saric, Andjela Milivojevic, Milica Stojanovic, Vladimir Kostic, Bojana Bosanac and Filip Rudic

The team built two databases and produced a series of stories exposing Serbia’s official fight against corruption as a nominal exercise. Records obtained through hundreds of Freedom of Information requests revealed that corruption prosecutions mainly targeted low-level public officials, dragged on for years and often resulted in suspended sentences.

“The Khadija Project,” Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project in collaboration with numerous international outlets (2015) Reporters: Miranda Patrucic (OCCRP), Joachim Dyfvermark and Sven Bergman (SVT), Ola Westerberg (TT), Paul Radu (OCCRP), Iggy Ostanin (Bellingcat),  cIsmayilova and RFE/RL Azerbaijan Service. Azerbaijani reporters, fearing arrest, used pseudonyms. Editors: Drew Sullivan, Jody McPhillips, Rosemary Armao, Deborah Nelson and Dave Bloss

Reporters from a dozen media outlets spent a year continuing the work of OCCRP/Radio Free Europe investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who was arrested on trumped-up charges in Azerbaijan. The investigations broke new ground in exposing kleptocracy and corruption in the country, much of it benefiting the ruling Aliyev family. After a series of stories implicated individuals and companies both in Azerbaijan and abroad, Ismayilova was released from prison.

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