Ifechukwu Dennis was reportedly the one who created the AI-generated audio of President Bola Tinubu, and the president’s office confirmed his detention on Thursday.
An online outcry ensued after the audio was added to a phoney film purporting to include social media critic Martins Vincent Otse, better known by his stage name Verydarkman VDM.
Bayo Onanuga, a media advisor to President Tinubu, had circulated the AI video and threatened legal action against VDM. Bayo announced the arrest of the audio’s creator in Benin City in a Facebook post late Thursday night.
“Ifechukwu Dennis, the creator of the false voice that he used to deceive his unsuspecting victims into thinking he was President Tinubu, has been arrested by the IGP crack team,” he wrote. Benin was the site of Dennis’s arrest. An official statement will be issued by the police.