The Stories That Exposed Nigeria’s Deepest Wounds

FOLLOW THE MONEY, FOLLOW THE DAMAGE

What Nigeria’s Biggest Investigations of 2025 Revealed

THE most consequential investigations of 2025 followed a simple principle: trace the money, document the damage, and listen to the victims. What emerged was a sobering portrait of a nation under strain.

Corruption at the Highest Levels

From the National Assembly to state governments, corruption featured prominently. Investigations revealed how lawmakers extorted universities, how Kano State assets were allegedly transferred to private hands, and how billions of naira were laundered through shell companies and personal accounts.

Even the federal cabinet was not spared, with revelations of certificate forgery involving a sitting minister raising questions about integrity at the top.

Environmental and Human Destruction

Environmental investigations showed how Nigeria’s development model was destroying livelihoods. Oil spills poisoned the Niger Delta, illegal logging erased forests, and agrochemicals endangered lives. Floods and pollution were not accidents, but predictable outcomes of neglect.

Insecurity, Migration, and Abandonment

Reporting from Kwara and other regions showed how insecurity forced farmers off their land and pushed communities into survival mode. At sea, attacks on fishers and traders went largely ignored by authorities, despite official claims to the contrary.

Global Schemes, Local Victims

An international collaboration exposed how young Africans were recruited into exploitative Russian labour schemes under false promises. Many found themselves trapped, surveilled, and unable to return home — victims of a transnational deception network.

Health, Hunger, and Silent Suffering

Healthcare system collapse pushed Nigerians across borders for treatment. Food inflation, fuelled by extortion on highways, worsened malnutrition among children. These investigations revealed how everyday corruption translated into life-and-death consequences.

Why 2025 Will Be Remembered

The investigations of 2025 showed that Nigeria’s crisis is not abstract. It is measurable in lost forests, poisoned water, stolen funds, and lives cut short — and in the courage of journalists who documented it.