The Nigeria Police Force has announced plans to strengthen collaboration with major technology companies, including Meta and TikTok, to identify individuals responsible for creating and circulating artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes and other forms of disinformation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The police said the partnership would support investigations into manipulated videos, cloned voices, impersonation and coordinated online campaigns capable of misleading voters and undermining public confidence in the electoral process.
An Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bashir Abdullahi, disclosed this on Wednesday during a webinar organised by the PUNCH Media Foundation on artificial intelligence, misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 elections.
Representing the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, Abdullahi explained that the collaboration would enable investigators to obtain relevant user information, establish the locations from which suspicious content originated, request the removal of harmful material and preserve digital evidence for possible prosecution.
He said the police had established working relationships with social media platforms to improve the identification and investigation of people behind misleading online content.
According to him, the Force would also deploy operational teams to investigate the sources of suspicious publications and take appropriate action where criminal offences had been established.
Abdullahi said the police had learnt from the challenges associated with the 2023 general elections and strengthened their response to technology-related crimes through the establishment of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre.
He disclosed that the police had conducted targeted raids on phone farms and arrested suspects allegedly involved in producing deepfake content to manipulate online conversations.
The police representative also cited an incident in Benin City, Edo State, involving a suspect who allegedly created a manipulated video of President Bola Tinubu making statements he never made. According to Abdullahi, the suspect was traced and arrested before reportedly claiming that he produced the video simply to attract attention online.
He warned that the circulation of fabricated videos, cloned voices and false announcements could create confusion, heighten political tensions and undermine the credibility of the electoral process.
However, Abdullahi assured Nigerians that the police would not use efforts to tackle disinformation as an excuse to violate citizens’ constitutional right to freedom of expression.
He explained that investigations would be guided by credible intelligence and sufficient evidence, stressing that individuals would not be targeted merely for expressing political opinions.
The police said their investigations would focus on offences such as impersonation, cyberstalking, criminal intimidation, threats and incitement, where the necessary legal requirements had been established.
The Force also disclosed that it was working with the Independent National Electoral Commission, the National Broadcasting Commission, the National Orientation Agency, civil society organisations and media organisations to strengthen information management ahead of the elections.
Abdullahi urged Nigerians to verify sensitive electoral information through credible and official sources before sharing it. He specifically warned against fabricated announcements concerning changes to election dates or procedures, noting that INEC remained the appropriate authority for confirming such information.
The development comes amid growing concerns over the potential use of artificial intelligence to create convincing fake videos, photographs and audio recordings of political candidates, public officials and electoral institutions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The police said the strengthened cyber intelligence operations and partnerships with technology companies were intended to help identify those responsible, preserve evidence and ensure that anyone found to have committed an offence was dealt with in accordance with the law.
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