Police says it has uncovered 'phone farms' as it arrests suspect over election misinformation

The Nigeria Police Force says it has raided facilities allegedly used to manipulate online discussions ahead of the 2027 general elections. Police also arrested a suspect accused of spreading false information about a political candidate from the South-South.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Bashir Abdullahi disclosed the operations on Wednesday during a webinar organised by the PUNCH Media Foundation titled “AI, Misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Safeguarding the Truth, Protecting the Vote”. He represented Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu at the event.

Abdullahi said police discovered the facilities, known as phone farms, while investigating suspected efforts to interfere with the 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,” he said.

He explained that a single operator could use hundreds of phones and automated accounts to spread messages simultaneously, creating the impression that many people were independently discussing or promoting the same issue. He said the raids disrupted the operation.

Abdullahi said officers investigating a complaint traced allegedly false reports about a South-South candidate to a suspect who was now in custody. He alleged that the reports were intended to discredit the candidate and influence voters.

The police would investigate and seek to prosecute people found to have spread false information capable of undermining the electoral process, Abdullahi said. He added that enforcement would be guided by the law and that police would not interfere with legitimate public debate.

“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.

Abdullahi also said the force had acquired tools that he claimed could detect deepfake videos, manipulated photographs and cloned audio with up to 99 per cent accuracy. He warned that such content could make candidates, public officials or election authorities appear to say things they never said.

The force is conducting digital forensic examinations of audio, video and images circulating on social media, he said. It has also set up an election monitoring room and begun gathering intelligence ahead of the polls.

Abdullahi urged Nigerians to verify election announcements through the Independent National Electoral Commission, particularly claims that the election timetable had changed.