Man who fooled thousands with fake Tinubu’s voice has been arrested

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The controversy surrounding a viral AI-generated audio clip falsely attributed to President Bola Tinubu has taken a dramatic turn, with the Nigeria Police Force reportedly arresting a suspect believed to be behind the fabrication and circulation of the recording.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga disclosed on Thursday that a police crack team had arrested one Ifechukwu Dennis in Benin City, Edo State, over his alleged role in originating the fake voice recording that mimicked the President’s voice.

“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 announced on his verified X account, adding that the police would issue an official statement on the development.

The arrest marks the latest chapter in a controversy that has dominated social media and sparked concerns over the growing use of artificial intelligence to spread misinformation.

The saga began when an audio recording surfaced online, purportedly featuring President Tinubu making controversial comments about insecurity in the South-East, the 2027 presidential election, and opposition figures. The recording quickly went viral, triggering heated political debate and widespread public reaction.

However, the Presidency immediately dismissed the audio as fabricated, insisting it was an AI-generated deepfake designed to mislead Nigerians.

The issue escalated when presidential aides accused social media activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), of disseminating the clip.

Subsequent investigations and media reports suggested that the viral recording did not originate from VDM’s platforms.

Findings indicated that an unidentified individual had allegedly extracted footage from an existing video and superimposed AI-generated audio resembling Tinubu’s voice before circulating the manipulated content online.

The latest arrest appears to be the first major breakthrough in efforts to identify those responsible for creating and spreading the controversial recording.

With the police expected to release further details, attention is now focused on whether additional suspects were involved and what charges may be brought against the arrested individual.