Nigerian Police Bust ‘Phone Farms’, Arrest Suspect Over Alleged Plot To Manipulate 2027 Elections
Nigerian Police Bust ‘Phone Farms’, Arrest Suspect Over Alleged Plot To Manipulate 2027 Elections
Abdullahi, who represented the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, said investigations into alleged attempts to interfere with the electoral process led officers to identify and conduct targeted raids on the facilities.
The Nigeria Police Force has said that its operatives busted facilities known as phone farms, allegedly used to manipulate online conversations and manufacture public support for political interests ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The police also confirmed the arrest of a suspect accused of circulating false information about a political candidate from Southern Nigeria in an alleged attempt to influence voters and damage the candidate’s reputation.Nigerian news analysis
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bashir Abdullahi, made this known on Wednesday while speaking at an event organised by the PUNCH titled, “AI, Misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Safeguarding the Truth, Protecting the Vote.”
Abdullahi, who represented the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, said investigations into alleged attempts to interfere with the electoral process led officers to identify and conduct targeted raids on the facilities.
Although he did not disclose the locations of the phone farms, Abdullahi said that the facilities involve the use of hundreds of mobile phones, automated accounts and bots to artificially amplify particular narratives across social media platforms, creating the false impression that large numbers of people support or oppose a particular political position.
According to him, the police uncovered coordinated activities by individuals allegedly seeking to manipulate public opinion and interfere with the credibility of the 2027 elections.
“We have recently come across information regarding the coordinated effort being made by some individuals to see that they tamper with our elections. Having dissected the information, we were able to carry out targeted raids at phone farms,” Abdullahi said.
He added that the facilities were designed to flood online platforms with coordinated messages, making artificially generated conversations appear like genuine public opinion.
“They call it phone farms, where you have bots arranged to manipulate and spread information simultaneously, making you believe that a whole lot of people are talking about the same subject,” he stated.
The police commissioner further disclosed that officers investigated a complaint involving alleged false information circulated against a Southern political candidate, traced the origin of the content and arrested a suspect.
Abdullahi warned that the police would pursue individuals involved in deliberately spreading false information capable of undermining the electoral process, adding that investigations and prosecution would follow where sufficient evidence is established.
“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. This is a message for people not to even contemplate doing that kind of behaviour,” he said.
On the growing threat posed by artificial intelligence, Abdullahi said the police had acquired cyber technology capable of detecting manipulated photographs, deepfake videos and cloned audio recordings with up to 99 per cent accuracy.
He warned that AI-generated content could be deployed during the 2027 elections to falsely portray presidential candidates, political leaders, government officials and electoral authorities as making statements or announcements they never made.
He said the police were already conducting digital forensic examinations of audio recordings, photographs and videos circulated online to establish their authenticity and identify possible manipulation.
Abdullahi also disclosed that the force had established an election monitoring room and commenced intelligence gathering ahead of the 2027 polls as part of efforts to identify potential threats to the electoral process.
However, he insisted that the police would not use the fight against misinformation as an excuse to suppress legitimate political conversations, criticism or public opinions.
He maintained that law enforcement interventions would be guided by established legal provisions and that individuals would not be harassed where the necessary legal elements for an offence had not been established.
“If the relevant legal elements are not established, we cannot go out and disrupt the peaceful conduct of public opinion. We cannot do that,” he said.
The police official urged Nigerians to exercise caution when sharing election-related information, particularly claims concerning changes to the election timetable, advising citizens to verify such announcements through the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The disclosure comes as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with concerns mounting over the potential use of artificial intelligence, coordinated social media campaigns, disinformation networks and other digital tools to manipulate public perception and influence voters.
