Nigeria arrests creator of fake AI voice notes impersonating President Tinubu

Nigerian authorities have apprehended Ifechukwu Dennis, who is accused of creating artificial intelligence-generated voice notes falsely attributed to President Bola Tinubu. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, confirmed the arrest in Benin City, Edo State.

Onanuga stated that Dennis originated the fake voice, which he then disseminated to unsuspecting targets as President Tinubu's. The police are expected to issue a formal statement regarding the matter. This development is presented as a step in the ongoing campaign to curb the spread of misinformation and politically motivated disinformation within the country.

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The IGP crack team has arrested Ifechukwu Dennis, who originated the fake voice that he passed on to his gullible targets as President Tinubu’s voice.

Previously, Onanuga had alleged that activist Martins “VeryDarkMan (VDM)” Otse was responsible for the voice notes, calling for his prosecution. However, investigations by PREMIUM TIMES and other outlets revealed that VDM did not create the voice notes, and they were manipulated by an unknown individual, not originating from VDM's content. The AI-generated audio falsely suggested that President Tinubu intentionally allowed insecurity to persist for political gain and pressured former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi to withdraw from the presidential race. The voice notes also contained threats to escalate insecurity in the South-east.

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Dennis was arrested in Benin. The police will issue an official statement.