The Nigerian Police Force has arrested a man identified as Ifechukwu Dennis, who is alleged to have created and circulated the AI-generated voice recording that spread rapidly across social media platforms.
The development comes after days of public debate, fact-checking efforts, and growing concerns about the misuse of artificial intelligence in political discussions.
Moreover, the arrest has shifted attention from speculation about the recording’s content to questions surrounding the creation and distribution of digital misinformation.
According to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, the suspect was apprehended by a special police team following investigations into the source of the controversial audio.
Announcing the development through his official X account, Onanuga stated:
“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.”
The controversy began on May 27, 2026, after a video connected to social media personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, gained widespread attention online.
In the altered version that circulated across various platforms, a voice resembling that of President Tinubu was heard making controversial remarks on national issues.
The statements included comments about insecurity in the South-East, the 2023 presidential election, and the economic challenges facing Nigerians.
However, subsequent investigations conducted by several media organizations reportedly uncovered significant discrepancies.
Furthermore, fact-checkers established that the controversial audio did not appear in VeryDarkMan’s original video.
Instead, investigators found that footage from the activist’s authentic Instagram post had allegedly been extracted and modified.
The manipulated version was later circulated online with an artificial intelligence-generated voice added to the footage.
Meanwhile, the revelation generated fresh discussions about misinformation and the increasing sophistication of digital content manipulation.
Before the source of the audio was identified, calls had reportedly been made for legal action against individuals believed to be connected to the content.
Moreover, the Presidency had earlier reacted strongly to the incident.
At the time, Onanuga described the situation as:
“a clear case of egregious abuse of the social media platform.”
That position later attracted public debate after independent verification suggested that the original video shared by VeryDarkMan did not contain the disputed audio.
Consequently, attention shifted toward identifying the individual responsible for creating the altered recording.
The arrest of the suspect is now being viewed as a major breakthrough in the investigation.
Meanwhile, details regarding the exact charges that may be filed against Dennis have not yet been released.
In addition, authorities have not disclosed whether further arrests could be made as investigations continue.
