The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a suspect, Ifechukwu Dennis, over a viral artificial intelligence-generated voice note falsely attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a development that underscores growing concerns over the misuse of emerging technologies to spread disinformation.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed the arrest on Thursday via his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle, stating that the suspect was apprehended in Benin City, Edo State, by a specialised team from the office of the Inspector-General of Police.
According to Onanuga, Dennis allegedly created and circulated the manipulated audio, presenting it as the voice of the President to mislead unsuspecting members of the public.
He said, “The IGP crack team has arrested Ifechukwu Dennis, who originated the fake voice that he passed on to his gullible targets as President Tinubu’s voice. The police will issue an official statement.”
The controversial audio, which recently went viral across social media platforms, contained a string of inflammatory and unverified claims, including allegations that insecurity in the South-East was orchestrated, and that Tinubu pressured the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to withdraw from the race.
The recording also suggested that the President was indifferent to the economic hardship faced by Nigerians—claims that have been widely dismissed by government officials as false and malicious.
The fake audio gained further traction after it was featured in a video posted on May 27 by controversial social media activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
Reacting at the time, Onanuga condemned the dissemination of the clip and called for the activist’s arrest, describing the act as a serious abuse of digital platforms.
“This is a clear case of egregious abuse of social media,” he said, insisting that those responsible must face the full weight of the law.
As of the time of filing this report, the police authorities have yet to issue an official statement detailing the circumstances of the arrest or the specific charges to be filed against the suspect.
The incident has reignited debate over the regulation of artificial intelligence tools and the rising threat of deepfakes in Nigeria’s information ecosystem, particularly as the country navigates an increasingly digital political space.
FOLLOW US
FOR MORE HERE
More details here...