A recent disclosure from declassified U.S. intelligence documents has revealed that Lagos ranks second among five African cities reportedly hosting secret CIA spy bases.
According to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the information was uncovered in newly declassified CIA files related to the assassination of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
The documents list Johannesburg, South Africa, as the top African city with CIA spy operations, followed by Lagos (Nigeria), Nairobi (Kenya), Pretoria (South Africa), and Rabat (Morocco). Salisbury—now Harare—the largest city in Zimbabwe, was also included in the African Division of the CIA’s covert network.
The files were made public following U.S. Executive Order 14176, signed by President Donald Trump on January 23, which mandates the declassification of documents related to the assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy.
This revelation has fueled concerns about U.S. interference in African politics, with activists accusing Washington of using the CIA to destabilise governments and install puppet leaders.
We want answers from governments. We demand CIA leave Africa immediately, South African activist Shabnam Mohamed wrote on X amplifying calls for transparency and action from African leaders.
