From the burger story to torture home: All Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ investigations since 1999

Although the undercover journalist, through his Tiger Eye PI company have expressed their disappointment in the ruling of the Accra High Court that presided over his case of defamation brought against the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, there are many who are still proud of the exploits of the journalist.

You are practicing investigative terrorism, not journalism – Judge tells Anas Aremeyaw Anas

An Accra High Court told undercover investigative, journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, that what he practices is not investigative journalism, but “investigative terrorism.’’

This was after the court dismissed the GHC25 million defamatory suit the journalist brought against the MP, Kennedy Agyapong.

According to a report by asaaseradio.com, the judge, Justice Eric Baah, ruled that the MP was justified to refer to Anas as “a blackmailer, corrupt, an extortionist, and evil.”

He added that “I find claims by the plaintiff (Anas Aremeyaw Anas) meritless and they are hereby dismissed.”

Travesty of justice: Anas reacts to losing GH¢25m defamation suit against Ken Agyapong

Following the ruling, Anas Aremeyaw Anas described as travesty of justice, the decision by the Accra High Court that he was not defamed by Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong.

Anas in 2018 dragged the lawmaker to court for alleged defamation after the MP had publicly telecast a documentary titled, “Who Watches the Watchman,” to unveil alleged shady deals involving the journalist and his work.

Reacting to the ruling, Anas, in a statement, said if for nothing at all, Ken Agyapong accused him of murder but there was nothing contained in the said documentary which alluded to the committing of murder.

But like the journalist has been at this for so long, releasing his first undercover investigation in 1999.

Here is a full list of all of the works he has undertaken in his career, made available via wikipedia:

The Burger Story (1999): This was the first undercover investigation by Anas. He worked as a street hawker to expose police officers who took bribes from unlicensed traders on a major highway in Accra.

Torture on the High Seas (2003): Anas went undercover aboard a shipping vessel from Afko fisheries to expose the maltreatment of Ghanaian workers by a Korean employer.

Bole Rebel Raid (2005): An investigative story which exposed how Ivorian rebels invaded Ghanaian territories in 2005, made incursions into some northern communities, and subjected the inhabitants to constant torture and abuse.

In this story Anas went undercover in the villages of Saru and Walata. Ivorian rebels had invaded and captured the chief of Saru and some of his elders. As part of the investigation, Anas went as the ‘Prince of Walata’ and managed to meet the rebel leader, receiving information about the rebels’ camp and operations.

After the story was reported, the government of John Kufuor took steps to address the lack of security in the affected communities. The chief and elders were released, security for the affected Ghanaian communities was provided by the government, and the borders were secured.

Passport Scandal (2006): Posing as a rich businessman, Anas worked to expose officials within Ghana’s passport office who provided Ghanaian passports to non-citizens for a fee. He made hundreds of passports using fake identities. Passports were made in the name of the then President, the Inspector General of Police and other high political and national characters to prove the system was corrupt. This led to the fast-track introduction of biometric passport for Ghanaians.

Torture Chamber of Bangkok Prisons (2006): An Anas undercover investigation where he travelled to Thailand to infiltrate its prisons as a Catholic priest. He interviewed some Ghanaian and West African prisoners about the maltreatment and deaths of foreign prisoners in jail, exposing the abuse of expatriates in Thai prisons.

As a result of Anas’ work, the government of Ghana successfully negotiated with the Thai government for the transfer of all convicted Ghanaian prisoners in Thailand to Ghana.

Eurofood Scandal (2006): An investigation by Anas in which he went undercover as menial worker at Eurofood, a biscuit and confectionery factory in Ghana. Eurofood was using expired and maggot-infested flour to produce biscuits for public consumption in Ghana and other parts of Africa.

Soja Bar Prostitution (2007): An investigation into one of the largest brothels in Ghana at the time. Anas went undercover by posing as a cleaner. He exposed how some teenagers were forced into prostitution.

He also exposed Soja Bar as a place for hardened criminals and the exploitation of women. Soja Bar was later demolished by Ghanaian authorities and some of the under-aged prostitutes were taken in by Ghana’s Social Welfare.

Imam’s School of Shock (2008): This is a story of a slave master who trafficked and abused 15 children in Ghana and Togo using an Islamic school as bait. He recruited young victims into a life of begging, using their efforts to amass significant wealth. Anas gathered evidence through the use of a hidden camera, which led to the arrest of the slave master.

Humans for Sale: Dons Exposed (2008): This was an investigation Anas carried out over an eight-month period. It spanned over five countries in West Africa and Europe. He worked to penetrate an international trafficking ring, gathered evidence to prosecute a political figure, rescued 17 girls about to be trafficked, exposed corrupt immigration officials, and stood as a witness in the trial.

Orphans Home of Hell (2010): Undercover in Ghana’s biggest state run orphanage. Exposed corruption and abuse of children in the facility.

In the Interest of the State (2010): Exposed cocoa smugglers and their cohorts in Ghana’s security system.

Inside Ghana’s Madhouse (2010): Undercover in Ghana’s biggest psychiatric hospital Anas exposed patient human rights abuses.

Four films in 2011 for Al Jazeera Africa Investigations in Sierra Leone (Timber); Ghana’s Gold; Fools’ Gold; and Spell of the Albino (Tanzania).

Enemies of the Nation (2011): Undercover to expose fraud and corruption at one of Ghana’s key points of entry, the Tema harbor.

Wild Ghana Project (2012): A look at how gullible and vulnerable customers can be exploited, featuring the “Abortion Lord” who had sex with his female clients when they came to him for abortions.

Deadly Gold (2012): An investigation into the negative effects of illegal gold mining in Ghana.

Dons of the Forest (2012): A follow-up to “In The Interest of The State” operation to busted a ring of people who diverted and sold fertilizers meant for the cocoa farmer.

The Prez’s Assignment – Stealing the People’s Power (2012: A three-phase investigation into the power distribution sector in Ghana. Exposed acts of corruption on the part of employees of power distribution company ECG (electricity company of Ghana) and indebtedness on the part of individuals and companies.

The Messiah of Mentukwa (2013): The story of how one woman, Helen Jesus Christ, set up a church in a remote village in Ghana’s hinterland and convinced members that Jesus Christ was coming soon and they could only be saved if they cut themselves off the rest of the world. With that came physical abuse and children being denied access to school.

Al Jazeera – People and Power, How to Robe Africa (2013): This was a film on how African businesses fleece their governments and stash these stolen funds in off-shore accounts. With journalist Stanley Kwenda.

Spirit Child (2013): Filmed in Northern Ghana, where Anas exposed the barbaric sacrifices of children who were believed to bring ill luck to their families. The story led to the arrest of some fetish priests, with Anas advocating for the prosecution of such persons.

Al Jazeera Africa Investigates – Nigeria’s Fake Doctors (2014): Anas teamed up with colleague Rosemary Nwaebuni to investigate the activities of quack doctors who risk the lives of vulnerable people in Nigeria. The film led to the arrest of two people who were using pharmacy shops and beer parlours as operating theaters for patients who were in desperate need of medical attention. It presents bogus doctors with no medical qualifications and little knowledge providing illegal abortions and the resultant fatal injuries.

Ghana Food for Thought (2014): Focuses on stealing and corruption in the process of supplying donated food to its intended recipients. Anas went undercover to expose the activities of some Ghana Health Service officers who ran a corrupt business selling food donated by the World Food Program (WFP) and destined free-of-charge to disadvantaged children in the north. Three people were arrested.

Ghana Sex Mafia (2014): Film built on the Chinese Sex Mafia story of February 2009. Tells the story of Chinese girls trafficked into Ghana and how Anas went undercover to bust the ring and testified in court leading to the prosecution of the traffickers.

Ghana’s Soul Takers (2014): This was a three part investigative documentary that was centered on road safety. The first part looked at driver licensing and the corruption and fraud it is fraught with.

The second installment, Doom – the silent killer next door, tells three social interest stories of how families lost loved ones to the carnage on Ghana’s roads, and highlighted some of the dangers associated with commercial transport.

The third part examines police corruption and the tacit contribution of Ghana’s traffic police (the Motor Traffic and Transport Department, MTTD) of the Police Service.

Ghana Judiciary Scandal (2015): On 23 September 2015 Anas premiered, in four showings, in front of a record-breaking audience of more than 6500 people at the Accra International Conference Center, his undercover film “Ghana In The Eyes Of God”. It exposed widespread corruption within the judiciary and graphically showed court workers like clerks and bailiffs connive with a number of respected judges to influence court cases through bribes. 34 judges and magistrates were caught on a hidden camera receiving enticements of money, goats, sheep and even foodstuff. As a result, presumed robbers, murderers, drug traffickers, rapists and litigants in land cases went free. The film effectively created a deep and destabilizing crises of conscience in Ghanaian society.

A disciplinary committee of the Judicial Council was set up to probing the allegations of bribery and extortion against the thirty-four judges and magistrates. At one point it had to have suspended its sittings following a suit by 14 Circuit Court judges at the Fast Track High Court challenging the legality or otherwise of the procedure adopted by the committee to investigate the matter.

More than 100 members of staff of the Judicial Service were then investigated after Anas submitted a petition and videos showing the affected staff receiving bribes to compromise cases. Anas has asked for the dismissal of the affected persons and as a result, the Judicial Council has begun investigations into the matter once again. The affected judges have since been suspended. Anas was given protection from prosecution but the situation remains tense. The effect of his documentary film was heightened by a number of pop songs, cartoons and other public shows of support.

On 7 December, The Council unanimously decided to remove from office 20 out of the 21 Judges and Magistrates cited in the petition. Some were removed from office without benefits and others with benefits. Those removed with benefits were remorseful when they appeared before the Committee and apologized profusely to the people of Ghana and the Judiciary for bringing the name of the institution into disrepute by their conduct. The Council, where Anas is personally presenting the evidence, resumed sitting mid-January 2016 to continue probing into the rest of the cases.

Nigeria’s Baby Farmers (2015): In this episode of Africa Investigates, journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and investigative reporter Rosemary Nwaebuni went undercover to identify and expose some of those behind Nigeria’s baby trade. The trade exploits couples desperate for a baby and young pregnant single mothers — often stigmatised in a country where abortion is illegal except in the most dire medical emergency. It is also a trade that international NGOs have identified as sinister and out of control.

The team found bogus doctors and clinics offering spurious fertility treatments in return for large amounts of money. In their guise as a childless couple, Anas and Rosemary were falsely diagnosed by one clinician as being unable to conceive children.

Number 12 (2018): This investigative work by Anas focuses on corruption in the Ghana Football Association (GFA). Portions of the investigative piece were shown privately to President Nana Akufo-Addo. In the video, Kwesi Nyantakyi – the President of the GFA – is filmed appearing to be soliciting for bribes from some football investors using the name of the President, Vice President and other senior members in Government. The President lodged a complaint about the conduct of Nyantakyi with the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service. He was arrested and later granted bail.

After being provisionally banned by FIFA, Nyantakyi resigned as the president of Ghana Football Association, and quit his roles as a member of the FIFA Council, member of the FIFA Associations Committee, First Vice President of CAF and President of Zone B of the West African Football Union (WAFU).

The Ghana Football Association was also dissolved.

Torture Home (2019): “Torture Home, when a man of god abuses children” is an investigation an Echoing Hill village orphanage run by Baptist Pastor Lawrence Lamina. It uncovers widespread child abuse, neglect and thievery of food donation at the hand of the pastor and his “caretakers.”