Police Arrest Suspect Behind AI-Generated Fake Tinubu Voice Recording
The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a suspect identified as Ifechukwu Dennis over the circulation of an artificial intelligence-generated voice recording falsely attributed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Global Mirror News gathered that the arrest was disclosed on Thursday June 4 by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who confirmed that the suspect was apprehended by the Inspector-General of Police’s special investigative team.
According to Onanuga, Dennis was identified as the individual who created and distributed the manipulated audio clip, which was falsely presented as a leaked conversation involving President Tinubu.
“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 in a post shared via his official social media account.
The controversial audio recording surfaced online on May 27, 2026, and quickly gained traction across various social media platforms after it was linked to popular social media commentator Martins Vincent Otse, widely known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
In the manipulated recording, a voice resembling that of President Tinubu was heard making several controversial claims, including allegations that insecurity in Nigeria’s South-East region was being deliberately sustained, that opposition figure Peter Obi had been pressured to withdraw from the 2023 Presidential election, and that the President was unconcerned about the hardships faced by Nigerians.
However, investigations conducted by several media organisations later established that the viral clip did not originate from VeryDarkMan’s verified social media accounts.
Reports revealed that an unidentified individual had extracted footage from one of VDM’s original Instagram videos and superimposed the AI-generated voice recording onto the video before redistributing the altered content online, creating the false impression that the activist had published the audio.
The development sparked widespread public debate and concerns about the growing misuse of artificial intelligence technology to create misleading and deceptive content.
Earlier, the Presidency had called for the prosecution of VeryDarkMan over the incident, with Onanuga describing the circulation of the fake audio as an abuse of social media platforms. The position attracted criticism after independent fact-checkers and investigators confirmed that the activist was not responsible for the doctored recording.
Global Mirror News gathered that the arrest of the suspect has shifted attention to the legal implications of creating and distributing AI-generated misinformation, particularly content capable of inciting political tension, misleading the public, and undermining confidence in digital information.
Global Mirror News further reports that the incident has reignited discussions among media stakeholders, cybersecurity experts, and Government officials on the urgent need for stronger regulations and public awareness regarding the misuse of artificial intelligence tools and deepfake technology.
As of the time of filing this report, the Nigeria Police Force had not released additional details regarding the circumstances surrounding the arrest, possible accomplices, or the specific charges that may be filed against the suspect.
