in Michigan, created an online publication called Elendu Reports.
Mostly, they focused on the questionable activities abroad of Nigerian
politicians, publishing photographs of extravagant houses and luxury
car collections allegedly bought with the spoils of corruption, and
following paper trails to offshore accounts.
Back home, their exposés ignited widespread outrage. The domestic
press may have been too intimidated to report on the rampant
corruption, but by publishing the articles online from a base here,
Mr. Sowore and Mr. Elendu were free of government-sponsored violence.
Meanwhile, rapidly spreading Internet access in Nigeria — the World
Bank estimates Nigeria had nearly 44 million Internet users in 2009,
up from fewer than one million in 2003 — helped them reach enough
people that officials had no choice but to address the ensuing uproar.
In several cases, the articles led to the arrests of prominent
politicians.
"It just got bigger and bigger as we went along," Mr. Sowore said.
"People back in Nigeria thought we had some sort of wizardry, always
finding these stories, but we were just following the money, and no
one was able to stop us."
Mr. Sowore said he had a falling out with Mr. Elendu in 2006. (Mr.
Elendu could not be reached for comment.) Mr. Elendu continued with
his site, but Mr. Sowore soon started Sahara Reporters, named less for
geography than to symbolize his desire to "kick up a storm across
Nigeria," from the basement of his home in Englewood, N.J. Using a
network of contacts in the United States and in Nigeria, he continued
to report on corruption but also expanded into breaking news. Soon,
reporters based in Lagos began to send him controversial dispatches
that their own editors refused to print. Mr. Sowore is happy to
publish them, shielding the reporters' names when necessary for their
protection.
Read entire story here:
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