Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Nigeria Police Force has cracked down on automated “phone farms” operated by bad actors to manipulate public discourse online.
Disclosing the operations during a PUNCH Media Foundation webinar, Assistant Commissioner of Police Bashir Abdullahi, representing the Inspector-General of Police, explained how syndicate operations attempt to alter public perception.
“They call it phone farms, where you have bots arranged to manipulate and spread information simultaneously… Meanwhile, it is just an individual behind hundreds of phones… so that they can manipulate the system. The police were able to disrupt this.”
ACP Abdullahi revealed that police operatives have also taken a suspect into custody for circulating false reports designed to disparage a candidate from the South-South region. He warned that law enforcement will track down and prosecute anyone trying to distort election integrity through digital deceit.
“What we are doing now is, first of all, to send the message that the police are ready to arrest any person found spreading false information. Two, we are going to carry out investigations. Three, we will ensure that such a person is prosecuted”.
To combat the rise of synthetic media, police authorities confirmed they have acquired advanced forensic tools capable of spotting AI-generated deepfakes, photo manipulations, and voice cloning with 99 percent accuracy.
An election monitoring room has already been activated to gather intelligence while ensuring legitimate public opinion remains fully protected under the law.
