By Victoria Ojeme

Nigeria has been identified as a central battleground in Russia’s sophisticated influence operations across Africa, according to a technical report published by Viginum, France’s agency for combating information manipulation.

The report said that Nigeria is at the centre of an expansive and covert Russian influence campaign in Africa, driven by artificial intelligence and advanced digital deception tools.

The report, published by Viginum in collaboration with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the EU External Action Service, identifies the “African Initiative” press agency as a key actor in Russia’s soft power offensive across the continent.

According to the document, the African Initiative, operating under the guise of promoting “Russia-Africa information exchange”, is a front for pro-Kremlin influence operations, using fake news websites, AI-generated content, and inauthentic social media personas to disseminate anti-Western narratives. The campaign is particularly active in Nigeria, which the report describes as a “central pillar” in Moscow’s strategic disinformation playbook.

“This indicates Nigeria may serve as a central hub or a primary audience for the deceptive content disseminated by Al-Freak.

“This is not just about media manipulation; it is a direct threat to the information sovereignty of African nations. Nigeria’s large population, digital infrastructure, and geopolitical significance make it a prime target and a powerful vehicle for these operations,” the report said.

Despite a prolific output of over 18,000 articles by April 2025, its digital footprint remains surprisingly limited, with afrinz.ru attracting an average of only 35,000 monthly visits between December 2024 and February 2025.

At the heart of the campaign is a covert AI-driven framework named “Al-Freak”, a digital operation leveraging fabricated media, synthetic personas, and coordinated disinformation networks.

The report links several fake news outlets, notably newstop.africa, to the network, with tell-tale signs pointing to Nigeria as an operational hub, including a phone number using the country’s international dialling code.

“The sophistication of the campaign lies in its blending of legitimate grievances with foreign manipulation,” the report warns, citing rising costs of living, economic dependency on the West, and social discontent as narratives being weaponised for Kremlin ends.

Beyond online propaganda, Nigeria is also identified as a primary launchpad for the African Initiative’s mobile application, AFree, which purports to offer an African alternative to Western social platforms like Facebook and Twitter. A high-profile launch event in Lagos in July 2024, as well as coordinated digital advertising across Nigeria-focused platforms, underscores the depth of Moscow’s investments.

“By amplifying resentment and economic frustrations through local platforms, this campaign attempts to reframe Russia as a saviour and the West as an oppressor,” said an EU cybersecurity analyst quoted in the report.

The revelation places Nigeria alongside other African nations including Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Kenya, and Libya as targets of Russia’s expanding hybrid influence operations on the continent.