Personality Profile: The Masked Investigative Journalist “Anas Aremeyaw Anas”
The Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, popularly known as Anas, was born in Ghana in the late 1970s.
He works by concealing his identity and having succeeded in doing that for so many years, only a few people had ever seen Anas s’ face until an “unmasking ” during a BBC interview in November 2015.
Anas focuses on issues of human rights and anti-corruption in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa as he always brings to light, shocking and factual exposés which are of concern to the public.
The Tiger Eye Private Investigator who has also collaborated with Al Jazeera internationally on a number of documentaries is a multimedia journalist with no political affiliation who focuses on print and documentary work and makes use of his anonymity in his investigative reporting. The National Media Commission of Ghana maintains his approach as appropriate because covert reporting is legal in Ghana.
With his motto being”name, shame, and jail”, Anas stated that serious action must be made to reduce Ghana’s degree of corruption.
According to Anas in an open statement;
“I’m a Ghanaian undercover investigative journalist.Due to my work, I am anonymous and my anonymity is in fact an important tool in my investigations. My undercover investigations focus primarily on issues of human rights abuse (especially child abuse) and corruption. My human right investigations deal with creating a better life and providing equal opportunities for children and adults, whilst my corruption investigations focus on Government employees and executives who instead of working for the people rather loot the national kitty and thus deprive citizens of essential amenities that would create a better standard of living for them.
My aim in doing undercover journalism is to name, shame and jail.”
Anas has received numerous honors for his journalism, and has gained worldwide recognition for his investigative work.
He received the Africa Achievers Award in Kenya in 2013, the “Engaged Journalism Award” from the May foundation in 2014, the US State Department Award on Trafficking in Persons (TIP), among many other awards.
Having brought out a number of investigation-based exposés from as far back as the year 1999, some of his popular works specifically in Ghana include, The Burger Story, which was his first undercover investigation that exposed police officers who took bribes from unlicensed traders on a major highway in Accra.
Also, his latest 2022 exposé entitled “Galamsey Economy” which reports on the capturing of a man claiming to be Deputy Finance Minister, Adu Boahen, who allegedly said that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the vice president, required $200,000 from investors before he would grant them an audience.
A few others exposés include;
“Ghana in the Eyes of God” which looked into the judiciary of the Republic of Ghana in 2015, where 13 high court judges, 20 lower court judges, and 19 Judicial Service court registrars and interpreters were dismissed after being caught on camera taking gifts to influence court judgments.
“Number 12”, filmed in 2018 where the then Ghana Football Association president, Kwesi Nyantakyi, who was also an executive member of Fifa, was filmed by Anas accepting a bribe and was therefore forced to resign.
“Torture Home”, which came out in 2019 and uncovers widespread child abuse, neglect and thievery of food donation at the hand of the orphanage pastor and his caretakers.
The “whistleblowing” methods of Anas Aremeyaw Anas has made him a marked man but it seems he is unlikely to stop with his undercover investigations.
Having spoken in a interview session, the valiant private investigator claimed that, “The threats are not imagined. They are real,” “When you are dealing with bad guys in the society and you take a swipe at them and you miss, you embolden them. I have no time for that. If I pick a story that I want to do, I do it well.”
Author-Abednego Abaidoo
