Content creator and digital investigator, Femi Folorunsho, known as Femi Unfiltered, has faulted the arrest of a young man, Ifechukwu Dennis, over a viral AI-generated audio clip which falsely imitated the voice of President Bola Tinubu and was superimposed on a video of social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.
The controversy began in late May 2026 after a doctored video surfaced online showing VDM’s image with an AI-generated voice allegedly mimicking President Tinubu. In the fake audio, the cloned voice was heard making controversial claims about insecurity in the South-East, the 2027 elections and opposition figures.
Following the spread of the clip, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, publicly accused VDM of circulating dangerous disinformation and called for his prosecution.
VDM and his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, denied any involvement, insisting that VDM’s original video had been stolen and manipulated by unknown persons. Subsequent checks also indicated that the activist’s image had been used in a deepfake.
As the controversy grew, Femi Unfiltered began an independent digital investigation to trace the source of the doctored clip. His early findings reportedly linked the video to a TikTok account known as “Ratel TV,” allegedly connected to Ifechukwu Dennis, a young man based in Benin City, Edo State.
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Following the public release of the findings, security operatives reportedly arrested Dennis at his workplace in Benin City on June 4, 2026. Onanuga later announced the arrest on social media, describing Dennis as the alleged mastermind behind the AI-generated voice note.
However, Femi Unfiltered has now challenged that conclusion, saying further investigation showed that Dennis was not the creator of the AI file but merely downloaded and reposted it from another fake VDM impersonation page.
In a video response, Femi said Dennis contacted him after his initial investigation went viral and showed evidence that the video had been obtained from a larger anonymous page impersonating VDM. According to him, the page had a large following and appeared to be using AI-generated content to drive traffic and financial referrals to a platform identified as “Card Cosmic” through an affiliate code.
Femi accused Onanuga and security agencies of acting prematurely on incomplete information rather than using state intelligence tools to trace the original creator of the AI-generated content.
He argued that while Dennis may have reposted the video, available information did not support the claim that he created the fake Tinubu audio or masterminded the operation.
The content creator said he was disturbed that his preliminary investigative video was allegedly used as the basis for the arrest without further verification by law enforcement agencies.
He questioned why the police and other security agencies, with access to advanced digital tracking tools, would rely on an independent content creator’s early findings to make a high-profile arrest.
Femi also disclosed that Dennis’s family had reached out to him following the arrest, adding that he had engaged lawyers to visit security facilities in Abuja and work towards securing the young man’s release.
The controversy has raised fresh concerns about the spread of AI-generated political disinformation, the misuse of deepfake technology and the need for security agencies to properly verify digital evidence before making arrests.
It has also reopened debate over the dangers of premature public accusations in politically sensitive cases, especially where manipulated videos, impersonation pages and artificial intelligence tools are involved.
The post “Release Him” — Femi Unfiltered Hires Lawyers For Man Arrested Over AI-Generated Tinubu Audio, Says “He Didn’t Create The AI File” appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
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