Police arrest Ifechukwu Dennis for distributing AI-generated voice recording of President Tinubu
The Nigerian Police Force has arrested Ifechukwu Dennis, the man identified as the originator of an artificial intelligence-generated voice note that was widely circulated online as a leaked recording of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The arrest was disclosed on Thursday by the Presidential Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, via a post on his official X account.
According to Onanuga, the suspect was apprehended by a special police team following investigations into the controversial audio recording that sparked widespread debate across social media platforms.
“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.
The arrest brings to a close a week-long controversy that began on May 27, 2026, when a video involving social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), went viral online.
In the widely circulated clip, an AI-generated voice resembling that of President Tinubu was heard making a series of inflammatory remarks. Among the statements attributed to the AI-generated voice were claims that insecurity in Nigeria’s South-East region was deliberate, that the President had pressured Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, to step down before the polls, and that he was unconcerned about the suffering of Nigerians.
The content of the recording quickly generated controversy and triggered heated reactions across social media and political circles.
However, investigations conducted by multiple news organisations later established that VeryDarkMan was not responsible for posting the manipulated audio recording.
Further findings revealed that an unidentified individual had extracted footage from VDM’s original Instagram video and superimposed the AI-generated voice over it before recirculating the altered version online.
The discovery effectively cleared the social media activist of responsibility for the fabricated audio content.
Despite those findings, the Presidency had initially called for the prosecution of VeryDarkMan over the incident.
At the height of the controversy, Onanuga described the circulation of the manipulated content as “a clear case of egregious abuse of the social media platform.”
The position of the Presidency subsequently attracted criticism after fact-checkers and independent investigations confirmed that VDM’s original video contained none of the fabricated audio statements attributed to President Tinubu.
Thursday’s arrest marks a breakthrough in the investigation into the origin and circulation of the fake recording. However, further details regarding the circumstances surrounding Dennis’s arrest, the extent of his alleged involvement, and the specific charges he may face were not immediately available as of the time of filing this report.
Security agencies have yet to release additional information on whether more arrests are expected in connection with the creation and dissemination of the AI-generated audio.
The incident has renewed concerns over the growing use of artificial intelligence technology to create manipulated content capable of misleading the public, influencing political discourse, and spreading misinformation online.
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