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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Conflict & Security

AI-driven fake news, deepfakes threaten Nigeria's national security, group warns

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Context piece
  • A Nigerian group warns that AI-driven fake news and deepfakes pose a severe threat to national security.
  • The Grassroots Mobilisation Initiative (GMI) highlights the sophisticated use of technology to create false documents, clone voices, and generate fake videos.
  • GMI emphasizes that these disinformation campaigns can incite panic, violence, and distrust, exacerbating existing security challenges like insurgency and banditry.

Nigeria faces a growing threat from artificial intelligence-powered fake news and deepfakes, which could ignite fresh security challenges, the Grassroots Mobilisation Initiative (GMI) has warned.

The group expressed concern that advanced technologies are being used to forge official documents, clone the voices of public officials, and create convincing fake videos. This sophisticated disinformation, GMI National Coordinator Samaila Musa stated, makes it increasingly difficult for citizens to discern truth from fabrication.

Musa highlighted that Nigeria is already battling insurgency, banditry, and communal conflicts. The added burden of misinformation, capable of inciting panic and violence, could severely destabilize the nation. "What we are seeing today is no longer just the casual sharing of unverified rumours on WhatsApp," Musa said. "Mischief-makers and desperate actors are now using advanced technology, including Artificial Intelligence, to forge official documents, clone the voices of top government officials, and create deepfake videos of religious and regional leaders."

What we are seeing today is no longer just the casual sharing of unverified rumours on WhatsApp. Mischief-makers and desperate actors are now using advanced technology, including Artificial Intelligence, to forge official documents, clone the voices of top government officials, and create deepfake videos of religious and regional leaders

— Samaila MusaGMI National Coordinator Samaila Musa described the increasing sophistication of disinformation campaigns in Nigeria.

The organization also noted the dangerous impact of fake news on ongoing security operations. False casualty figures, doctored footage, and fabricated reports alleging complicity by security agencies can erode public confidence and undermine the morale of personnel fighting criminal groups. "The constant spread of fake military casualty figures, doctored videos of tactical retreats and false narratives of complicity among our troops only serves to demoralize the brave men and women on the frontline," Musa added.

GMI further warned that disinformation is being weaponized to exploit Nigeria's ethnic and religious diversity. Fabricated reports of attacks and misleading narratives circulated on social media could trigger reprisken and deepen existing divisions.

The constant spread of fake military casualty figures, doctored videos of tactical retreats and false narratives of complicity among our troops only serves to demoralize the brave men and women on the frontline. It gives undue confidence to bandits, insurgents and criminals

— Samaila MusaSamaila Musa explained how fake news impacts the morale of Nigerian security forces.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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