By Jane Okafor, Abuja
A special unit of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has arrested Ifechukwu Dennis for creating and circulating a doctored voice video falsely attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Dennis is accused of originating an AI-generated voice note that was widely shared online, misleading the public into believing it was a leaked recording of the President.
Presidential Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the arrest on Thursday in a post on his official Facebook account, adding that the police would issue a formal statement regarding the case.
The Daily Crucible reports presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga had recently criticised social media influencer Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VDM, over the circulation of an alleged audio recording linked to President Bola Tinubu, describing it as fake and calling for legal action against the influencer.
Onanuga at the time accused VDM of abusing social media platforms by disseminating false information capable of misleading the public and tarnishing the image of the President.
“This VDM needs to face the weight of the law for being the conveyor and disseminator of a fake audio of President Tinubu. This is a clear case of an egregious abuse of the social media platform,” Onanuga stated.
The controversy erupted after VDM shared a video online in which he claimed to have obtained an audio recording allegedly featuring President Tinubu speaking on issues surrounding insecurity, politics and the 2027 elections.
While introducing the recording, the influencer questioned Nigerians who might still support Tinubu in the next election cycle.
The controversial audio allegedly contained remarks attributed to the President concerning political opposition, insecurity in the South-East and the administration’s borrowing from the World Bank.
In parts of the purported recording, the voice alleged to be Tinubu’s claimed that efforts to remove him from office would fail and suggested that insecurity was being politicised ahead of future elections.
The recording also allegedly referenced opposition figures and foreign loans, with statements implying that insecurity and borrowing were tied to political calculations.
However, Onanuga dismissed the recording as fabricated, insisting that the content was deliberately designed to spread falsehood and incite public distrust.
According to the presidential aide, the circulation of manipulated or unverified materials on social media poses serious threats to national security, democratic stability and public confidence in governance.
