By Habeeb Ibrahim
Investigative journalist and Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) founder, Fisayo Soyombo, is set to release what he described as one of his biggest investigative stories after spending nearly five months working on the project.
Soyombo disclosed this on Monday while giving the public a rare glimpse into the making of his latest undercover investigation, which he said will be published by FIJ later this week.
The journalist shared four photographs showing himself at different stages of the assignment, including one taken five days into the investigation and others from his 44th day in the field.
He said the photographs offered a glimpse into the extent of the transformation that came with spending weeks immersed in the investigation.
According to Soyombo, he sent the first photograph to his three-man backroom team five days into the assignment, prompting one of them to joke that he looked “like a fisherman”.
But the photographs from his 44th day on the field produced a different reaction from the team.
Soyombo said the images were shared not to reveal the investigation itself, but to help the public understand the demands behind undercover journalism.
He said the project had taken a physical and mental toll on him, describing investigative journalism as a profession that often requires journalists to spend weeks or months making personal sacrifices before the public eventually sees the finished work.
The latest assignment adds to Soyombo’s long record of using undercover reporting to investigate institutions and activities that are difficult to penetrate through conventional reporting.
Over the years, he has gone undercover in different environments, including a police station and Ikoyi Prison, where he spent five days in police detention and eight days as an inmate to investigate Nigeria’s criminal justice system.
He has also worked undercover as a psychiatric patient at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, after altering his appearance and undergoing preparation before spending weeks inside the facility.
In another investigation, Soyombo disguised himself as different types of prospective importers to examine alleged sharp practices within the Nigeria Customs Service.
His more recent investigations have included a three-month undercover operation into illegal crude oil bunkering, during which he embedded himself with bunkerers and documented alleged links involving security personnel. FIJ published the investigation in December 2025.
Soyombo has also spent 19 months investigating an orphanage he alleged was involved in the sale of babies, an investigation that FIJ published as the “Arrows of God” series.
His latest project comes after he previously announced that he had taken an extended break from social media while working on what he called his “biggest story ever”. In a post shared about a month ago, Soyombo said the assignment was physically draining and mentally tortuous, and that he had spent time away from civilisation and his gadgets while carrying it out.
Now back on social media after nearly five months away, Soyombo said the latest disclosure was also intended to remind younger journalists that investigative journalism is not simply a route to professional visibility.
For him, the work involves getting into difficult environments, taking risks and making personal sacrifices while pursuing stories he believes are in the public interest.
The subject of his latest investigation remains undisclosed, with FIJ expected to publish the report later this week.
