In today’s hyper-connected world, warfare has expanded far beyond guns and battlegrounds. The new arsenal includes disinformation, spyware, artificial intelligence, and bot-driven influence campaigns. Digital warfare is not only disrupting elections and economies globally — it is quietly eroding national sovereignty. For Nigeria, Africa’s largest democracy and a rising economic power, this presents both a profound threat and a defining moment.
Digital Warfare: The Invisible Battlefield
Cyber threats now span a vast spectrum: from ransomware attacks on financial institutions to coordinated disinformation during elections. These assaults are often orchestrated by state actors, ideological groups, or mercenaries aiming to destabilise societies or reap strategic gains. The U.S. Senate’s 2019 confirmation of Russian interference in the 2016 election is a global warning. Within Africa, China’s provision of smart city surveillance systems has raised serious concerns about data sovereignty and silent digital dependencies (Feldstein, 2019; Freedom House, 2020).