Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi is an investigative journalist from Nigeria, passionate about environmental and climate justice.

The founder and managing editor of The Colonist Report and The Colonist Report Africa, registered in the United Kingdom and Nigeria, respectively—an organisation with a focus on exposing environmental, climate, and energy-related crimes in developing nations.

She is a fact-checker and a data journalist. A member of the Environmental Investigative Forum, and Oxford Climate Journalism Network of the Reuters Institute of Journalism.

Elfredah has spearheaded and led several investigations on environmental and climate issues in West Africa. Her work has been supported by global media organisations such as the Pulitzer Centre, Civil Forum for Asset Recovery, the Earth Journalism Network, Code for Africa, and The International Centre for Journalists. Elfredah also received several grants from Journalismfund Europe.

In 2019, she covered the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland with support from the US-based Stanley Centre for Peace and Security. She is enthusiastic about telling issues that affect everyday Nigerians’ lives, and her work has been featured in publications such as The Ferret-Scottish-based media, Scotsman, Al Jazeera, DeSmog UK, Earth Journalism Network, Newswire Nigeria and others.

Her special Skills include using OSINT to investigate issues, fact-checking, data Scrapper and Visualization, and conducting Forensic Analysis of websites and documents

Elfredah holds a master's degree from the University of Westminster, United Kingdom, where she studied multimedia journalism.

 

Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi

Basic information

Name
Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi
Title
Investigative journalist
Expertise
Environmental and climate justice
Country
Nigeria
City
Port Harcourt

Supported projects

UK Diamond Company Linked to Pollution

  • Climate
  • Environment

MOKHOTLONG – This investigation focuses on the mining activities of Letseng Diamond Mine, a subsidiary of GEM-Diamonds, a diamond company based in Lesotho, Southern Africa that has been linked to water pollution in the area despite winning climate awards.

Vapes: Environmental Pollution, Health and Safeguarding Concerns

  • Environment
  • Healthcare

LONDON – This investigation is centred on the widespread sales of nicotine vapes in Nigeria, the use of vapes by teenagers in the UK, the pollution caused by vape pods and cartridges in Burkina Faso, and the regulations on vapes by the European Commission.

Life after Lead Poisoning

  • Corruption
  • Environment
  • Healthcare

KABWE – More than four decades after the news broke about the illness caused by lead poisoning in Kabwe, Zambia, journalists dig deep to learn how victims' lives have changed since the World Bank provided $65 million in assistance to the Zambian government.

Rubber for Europe is fuelling environmental and human rights violations in Ghana and Nigeria

  • Climate
  • Environment
  • Human Rights

EDO/OKOMU – The journalists revealed that rubber and palm oil craze is a reason behind land grabbing, deforestation, and human rights violations in both Ghana and Nigeria. The French company Socfin's presence in southern Nigeria has caused host communities pain and rights violations, even if they mask it with well-oiled communication.

Ghana forests

Environmental Racism

  • Climate
  • Environment
  • Exploitation

After months of investigation, Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi and Kevin Woke have found that Italy's Eni activities in Nigeria have contributed to a climate crisis, environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity, and starvation due to the company's oil and gas exploration.

Shell Continues With Oil Pollution in the Niger Delta

  • Environment
  • Exploitation

OGONILAND - This investigation exposed the negative effects of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria – a subsidiary of Shell Plc, oil pipeline pollution in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta, which has resulted in the loss of several aquatic species and the deterioration of the ecosystem.

Nigeria: Illegal crude oil mining

  • Environment
  • Exploitation

ODUOHA - This story focuses on Total's oil and gas exploration activities in Nigeria (Rivers State) that have allegedly resulted in death, environmental damage, and farmlands destruction.

SIAT’s Land Grabbings in West Africa

  • Agriculture
  • Environment
  • Exploitation

PRIKRO The presence of SIAT, a Belgian company specialised in palm oil and rubber production, in Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria, comes with a significant socio-economic and environmental cost for the local communities. With the support of the national governments, the company is causing social division, food scarcity and restlessness. The locals are fighting back, reclaiming their lands both at the national and international levels.

Exporting Hazard

  • Economy
  • Environment
  • Industry

ACCRA - ABUJA - The Dark Side of European Used Cars and Parts Trade in West Africa (Ghana and Nigeria)

Missing funds of West African shea collectors

  • Agriculture
  • Economy

OYO - The Danish government's Danida Market Development Partnerships (DMDP) disbursed DKK 9 million to its Canadian partner Mennonite Economic Development Association (MEDA) in 2019 for a 4-year project to support Nigerian women shea collectors, but the project was terminated before the predetermined four years. The team looked into the project's effects and the reasons behind its abrupt termination in 2020.

Second-hand clothes from UK causing pollution in Nigeria and Ghana

  • Economy
  • Environment
  • Industry

ABUJA- This story demonstrates that although it is illegal to import used clothes into Nigeria, UK exporters continue to contravene the law by doing the contrary which is now polluting the country's ecology. It demonstrates how UK exporters provided Nigerian vendors with low-quality, deteriorating clothing, forcing them to burn unsold items in public.

How the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons is fueling conflicts in West Africa

  • Armed conflict
  • Corruption
  • Trafficking

ACCRA, ABUJA - This story puts the spotlight on a clandestine network of gunsmiths and arms traffickers operating in West Africa in contravention of local laws. It shows how these gunsmiths and traffickers exploit the porous borders across the West Africa and Sahel region to traffic illicit small arms and light weapons, which continues to fuel conflicts across the region.

Stolen at sea: illegal Chinese transshipment activities in Ghana and Nigeria

  • Corruption
  • Environment
  • Fishing industry

ACCRA, ABUJA – This investigation exposes a hidden network of Chinese control and ownership of many industrial fishing vessels operating in Ghanaian and Nigerian waters in contravention of local laws.