Police using phantom groups for propaganda - RULAC Director

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By Madu Obi

The Executive Director of a nongovernmental organization, the Rule of Law and Accountability Center, RULAC, Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, has accused the Nigeria Police Force of using phantom support groups as a weapon for propaganda.

In a statement, Nwanguma expressed worry that a slew of newly minted organizations purporting to represent the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria have suddenly surfaced to aggressively counter every critical post made about the Police, no matter how credible or evidence-based.

According to him, the shadowy groups exist only online, with no verifiable structures, track records, or real-world credibility.

"They are propaganda proxies and hired digital mercenaries deployed to sanitize the battered image of the Nigeria Police and shout down dissent", he said.

Listing some of the organizations, Nwanguma said their rhetoric mirrors that of the authorities.

He added: "What we are witnessing is a calculated information warfare strategy. When faced with mounting evidence of corruption, injustice, and the collapse of morale within its ranks, the leadership of the Nigeria Police appears to have opted for an old, tired tactic of manufacturing consent through propaganda.

Rather than engage stakeholders—police retirees, serving officers, civil society groups, or the general public—they have outsourced the job of image laundering to phantom organizations and social media spin doctors.

This is not only deceitful; it is dangerous. It risks deepening the crisis within the NPF rather than resolving it."

He suggested that instead of intimidating or arresting whistleblowers in uniform, the police authorities should initiate genuine reforms.

He added: "Instead of paying for digital defenders and faceless PR groups, they should use those resources to improve police welfare and transparency. Instead of stifling public discourse with aggressive counter-narratives, they should welcome critical voices as partners in reform.

The Nigerian public is not fooled. They see the desperation behind these manufactured alliances.They understand that propaganda cannot fill stomachs, cannot pay pensions, and cannot rebuild trust between the police and the people."

Nwanguma advised that the only way forward is engagement, reform, and justice — not deceit, denial, and digital bullying.