#ZakzakyLifeMatters: An Investigation into a Facebook Operation Linked to the Islamic Movement in Nigeria

On October 6, 2020 Facebook announced the takedown of 47 Pages, 93 Groups, 79 profiles, and 48 Instagram accounts linked to the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN). Facebook shared a portion of this network with the Stanford Internet Observatory on September 24, 2020. The operation called for the release from prison of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, the leader of the IMN who has been imprisoned since 2015. IMN, based in Zaria in Kaduna state, advocates a revolution to install an Islamic form of government. It is heavily influenced by Iran. Though the network primarily originated in Nigeria, the accounts frequently linked out to Africa-specific websites with explicit links to Iranian state media. It attempted to be savvy to social engagement, appropriating hashtags and memes that trended for unrelated reasons in the U.S., such as #ZakzakyLifeMatters. This network was suspended not due to the content of its posts, but rather for coordinated inauthentic behavior; the Pages and Groups were managed by fake accounts.