Police Arrest Suspect Over Alleged AI-Generated Fake Tinubu Voice Recording

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a suspect allegedly linked to the creation and circulation of a viral artificial intelligence-generated audio recording falsely attributed to President Bola Tinubu.

The development was disclosed by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, who said the suspect, identified as Ifechukwu Dennis, was apprehended in Benin City, Edo State, by a special police team investigating the controversial audio clip.

According to Onanuga, the suspect allegedly originated the manipulated voice recording and circulated it as an authentic statement made by the President.

“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,” Onanuga stated on his verified X account.

He added that the Nigeria Police Force would issue an official statement providing further details on the arrest and ongoing investigation.

The arrest follows weeks of controversy surrounding a viral audio recording that purportedly featured President Tinubu making remarks on insecurity in the South-East, the 2027 presidential election, and opposition political figures.

The audio clip generated widespread reactions across social media platforms and sparked intense political debate before the Presidency dismissed it as a fabricated deepfake produced using artificial intelligence technology.

Presidential aides had earlier accused social media commentator, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), of distributing the recording. However, subsequent reports suggested that the controversial audio did not originate from his platforms.

Investigators reportedly found that the manipulated recording may have been created by extracting footage from an existing video and overlaying it with AI-generated audio designed to imitate the President’s voice before it was circulated online.

The arrest of Dennis is regarded as the first major breakthrough in efforts to identify those responsible for producing and distributing the fake recording.

Security agencies are expected to continue investigations to determine whether additional individuals were involved in creating or disseminating the audio clip, while possible charges against the suspect are also being considered.

The case has renewed concerns about the growing use of artificial intelligence tools to create deceptive content and spread misinformation on social media platforms.