THE Nigerian Police Force has apprehended a suspect identified as Ifechukwu Dennis for allegedly creating and distributing an artificial intelligence-generated audio recording falsely attributed to President Bola Tinubu.
The arrest was disclosed today by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, via his official X account.
According to Onanuga, Dennis was responsible for generating the fake audio and circulating it as the President’s voice to unsuspecting members of the public.
The development brings closure to a controversy that erupted on May 27, 2026, after a manipulated video involving social media commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), gained widespread attention online.
In the altered clip, an AI-generated voice resembling President Tinubu was heard making controversial remarks, including claims that insecurity in the South-East was intentional, that he had influenced Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2023 presidential race, and that he was unconcerned about the hardships faced by Nigerians.
Subsequent investigations by several media organisations revealed that VeryDarkMan was not responsible for the fabricated audio.
Findings revealed that an unidentified individual had extracted footage from one of his Instagram videos and overlaid it with the AI-generated voice before sharing the edited version online.
Despite the revelations, the Presidency had initially called for the social media activist to be prosecuted, describing the incident as a serious abuse of social media platforms.
The position drew criticism after fact-checking efforts confirmed that the original video posted by VDM contained none of the fabricated statements.
Authorities have yet to release additional details regarding the circumstances of Dennis’s arrest or any charges that may be brought against him.
Investigations are expected to continue as law enforcement agencies examine the spread of AI-generated misinformation online.
