Police arrest suspect behind viral AI audio falsely attributed to Tinubu

Nigeria’s police force has arrested a suspect, Ifechukwu Dennis, over a viral AI-generated voice note falsely attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a development that highlights growing concerns about the misuse of emerging technologies to spread disinformation.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed the arrest on Thursday via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, saying the suspect was arrested in Benin City, Edo State, by a specialized team from the Office of the Inspector General of Police.

According to Onanuga, Dennis created and disseminated the manipulated audio, presenting it as the voice of the president to mislead unsuspecting members of the public.

He said: “The crack squad of the IGP arrested Ifechukwu Dennis, who originated the fake rumor which he broadcast to his naive targets as the voice of President Tinubu. The police will make an official statement.”

The controversial audio, which recently went viral across social media platforms, contained a number of inflammatory and unverified claims, including allegations that the insecurity in the South East was orchestrated and that Tinubu pressured the Labor Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to withdraw from the race.

The recording also suggested that the president was indifferent to the economic hardships faced by Nigerians, claims that have been widely rejected by government officials as false and malicious.

The fake audio gained further popularity 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 video and called for the arrest of the activist, describing the act as a gross abuse of digital platforms.

“This is a clear case of serious abuse of social media,” he said, insisting that those responsible must face the full weight of the law.

At the time of filing this report, police authorities have yet to release 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 growing threat of deepfakes in Nigeria’s information ecosystem, particularly as the country navigates an increasingly digital political space.

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