The Nigerian Police Force has arrested a man identified as Ifechukwu Dennis in connection with the creation and circulation of an artificial intelligence-generated voice note falsely attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The announcement was made on Thursday by the Presidential Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, via his official X account, confirming that the suspect was taken into custody by an Inspector-General of Police special team.
Authorities say Dennis was responsible for producing the manipulated audio, which was then shared with unsuspecting individuals as though it contained the President’s real voice.
The development brings an end to a week-long controversy that began after a video involving social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, went viral online.
In the viral clip, an AI-generated voice resembling that of President Tinubu allegedly made several controversial statements, including claims about insecurity in the South-East, alleged political pressure during the 2023 elections, and indifference toward public hardship.
However, subsequent investigations by media organisations found that the original video posted by VeryDarkMan did not contain the manipulated audio, but was instead altered after being taken from his social media content.
Despite these findings, initial reactions from government officials had called for action against him before the clarification emerged.
Further details regarding the arrest and possible charges against Dennis have not yet been disclosed.
