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Deepfake Technology and Future of Nigeria’s Democracy
By Joel Popoola
In 2018 Nigeria suffered international embarrassment when President Buhari was forced to deny online claims that he had died and been replaced with a clone.
In 2021 the claims might not be so farfetched.
A week or so ago, some videos showing Hollywood actor, Tom Cruise, performing magic tricks and telling bad jokes went viral around the world.
The videos were quickly proven to be fake – computer-generated images known as deepfakes, which make people appear to say or do things they never said or did, but only after the videos had been watched and shared online by tens of millions of people.
Fake footage of Tom Cruise is harmless enough – at least when all the Top Gun star is doing is cracking jokes – but what if it had been President Buhari? And what if he had been instructing Nigerians to do something dangerous, deadly or destructive?
Would people have obeyed the fake President?
In the United Kingdom, one major broadcaster has highlighted the potential danger of deepfakes by using a deepfake Queen to deliver an alternative Christmas message warning of the dangers of online misinformation. The actor who provided the voice of the Queen was quoted as saying: “As an actress it is thrilling, but it is also terrifying if you consider how this could be used in other contexts.”
As it becomes easier and less detectable for people to manipulate images of their political opponents using deepfake technology, how can we trust anything our leaders say to us?
What hope is there for our democracy if election candidates can convincingly create footage of their opponents saying something damaging, offensive or ridiculous and have that footage shared infinitely before the truth comes out?
The reality of the impact deepfakes could have on our democracy could be a little more subtle – but no less dangerous.
Consider another recent example of an online video being shared around the world.
Perhaps you have seen the story of the young woman leading an outdoor exercise class in Myanmar, who appeared to have inadvertently filmed the military coup happening behind her.
Within days people had “proven” that that film was no less fake than the footage of Tom Cruise.
And they were wrong.
And that is the real deepfake danger. Not just that people start to believe things which are not true, but that they refuse to believe things which are.
In Nigeria, the democratisation of information has allowed the international exposure of official wrongdoing – not least during the #EndSARS protests.
But what if it becomes easy – and believable – for authoritarian regimes to plausibly deny the reality of the most incriminating evidence. The next time official wrong-doing is caught on camera, it is all too easy to see wrongdoers claiming that the footage was manipulated or deepfake. And all too-easy for people to believe them.
If you cannot believe anything, you will end up believing nothing. And where does that leave our democracy?
So what is to be done?
The first step has to be opening verifiable and proven channels of communication between electors and elected.
At the digital democracy campaign I lead, we have created a free smartphone app called Rate Your Leader to do just that.
The app directly connects public figures we have verified are who they say they are to verified voters they serve. This allows a direct person-to-person exchange of information between people who are definitely who they say they are. This allows voters to be sure they can trust the information they are receiving, even if they don’t like it.
Information which comes unfiltered from our political leaders and institutions using apps like Rate Your Leader, and delivered in the spirit of transparency and accountability, carries the watermark of credibility that can act as a firewall against the most convincing of online misinformation.
Rate Your Leader also allows users to rate information they receive from their leaders, and public endorsement of such sources of information in turn creates a virtuous circle of improved trust in those leaders and institutions, and wider democratic engagement.
At this stage, the most insidious and damaging digital misinformation continues to be half-truths innocently spread in the family groupchat. But in the deepfake era that might be about to change – and Nigeria must prepare for a future where seeing no longer is believing.
Joel Popoola is a Nigerian tech entrepreneur, digital democracy campaigner and creator of the Rate Your Leader app. Follow Joel on Twitter @JOPopoola
The Senate, on Thursday, directed the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to intensify efforts to track, identify and arrest bandits and terrorists, who openly flaunt their activities and wealth on social media platforms.
The upper chamber said the growing trend of criminal groups operating openly online and displaying proceeds of crime without fear of arrest poses a serious threat to national security and undermines public confidence in the authority of the State.
The resolution followed a debate on a motion sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) on the worsening security situation in Kogi West Senatorial District and other parts of the country.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) expressed concern over what she described as the increasing boldness of bandits and terrorists, alleging that some criminal groups now use social media platforms to showcase their operations and distribute large sums of money.
According to her, suspected bandits recently conducted a giveaway on TikTok, allegedly distributing more than N100 million within 30 minutes through their social media accounts.
She argued that such activities provide security agencies with sufficient digital footprints and intelligence leads to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
“Bandits and terrorists who carry out these activities live on their social media handles,” Akpoti-Uduaghan said.
“Two days ago on TikTok, bandits conducted a giveaway, distributing over N100 million within the space of 30 minutes through their social media handles.
“I wonder why the Cybercrime Unit and the Police Force generally cannot track these activities and apprehend them since they are on social media.”
Her proposal that the Nigerian Police Force National Cybercrime Centre and other relevant agencies should intensify surveillance of social media platforms and prosecute criminals who openly advertise their activities online received overwhelming support from lawmakers and was seconded by Senator Osita Ngwu (Enugu West).
Responding, Senate President Godswill Akpabio condemned the public display of criminal exploits and huge sums of money on social media, describing it as a direct challenge to the authority of government and security institutions.
“The DSS should be able to track their movements and arrest them because this is a show of impunity, as if there is no law at all,” Akpabio said.
He noted that the online display of cash and criminal activities was designed to ridicule government efforts and create the impression that security agencies were powerless.
“I do not see why we should not have control over the social media space. That idea of showing themselves, showing the cash collected and displaying it is a way of challenging government,” he added.
Akpabio urged heads of security agencies to treat the issue as a major national security concern and take immediate action against those involved.
He further warned that the Senate would demand explanations from relevant authorities whenever individuals who openly reveal their identities and activities online are not apprehended.
The debate arose from Senator Karimi’s motion drawing attention to the escalating wave of terrorist attacks, kidnappings and killings across communities in Kogi West Senatorial District.
Karimi lamented that armed groups had turned several communities into theatres of violence, forcing residents to flee their homes while disrupting economic, social and educational activities.
He cited the recent attack on Iluke-Bunu in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area, where gunmen reportedly invaded a secondary school and attempted to abduct students writing the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination.
According to him, the attack claimed the lives of the school’s vice principal, a teacher and another resident.
The senator also recounted a series of kidnappings and killings across Kabba/Bunu, Ijumu, Yagba West, Lokoja and Kogi local government areas, warning that insecurity in the district was worsening and required urgent intervention.
Following deliberations, the Senate adopted a series of resolutions aimed at tackling the deteriorating security situation across the country.
The lawmakers called on President Bola Tinubu, the Inspector-General of Police and the National Assembly to urgently work towards establishing an appropriate legal framework for the creation of state police.
The Senate also urged the Federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to strengthen the implementation of cashless transaction policies as part of efforts to curb ransom payments and other criminal financial activities.
It further called on the Federal Ministry of Interior and the Nigerian Immigration Service to tighten border security and surveillance to stem the influx of arms and the movement of terrorists and other criminal elements into the country.
The upper chamber equally advised State governments against negotiating or entering peace agreements with terrorists and armed bandits, maintaining that such arrangements have often failed to produce lasting solutions and, in some cases, emboldened criminal groups.
The House of Representatives has passed the state police bill, effectively making way for the decentralisation of the Nigerian policing architecture.
The resolution followed the voting by 289 lawmakers in favour of state police during Thursday’s plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.
Recall that the House committed Thursday’s plenary to voting on the State Police Bill following the spike in killings, kidnappings, and banditry in the past few months.
The session was not without its fair share of drama, as shortly after the lawmakers settled down for the business of the day, Kaduna lawmaker, Bashir Zubairu, moved a point of order, explaining that the document on the proposed state police put together by the House Committee on Constitution Review got to the lawmakers only on Thursday afternoon.
Recognised to speak by the speaker, Zubairu said, “Mr Speaker, this document was only made available to lawmakers in the chambers, and we are yet to go through it. We cannot do justice to it because we have not gone through it.”
Zubairu, a member of the African Democratic Congress, was ruled out of order, allowing the process to proceed.
While the Speaker took members through the clauses, voices shouting “Point of Order” could be heard, but the presiding officer ignored them.
Before the voting began, Abbas announced that the electronic voting system was faulty, noting that the exercise would be conducted based on attendance.
Out of the 290 members in attendance, 289 voted in favour of state police while one voted against. The Speaker abstained from voting.
The Punch
The Nigerian Police Force has announced the rescue of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu’s sister and her twin sons, who were abducted on June 3, in Ibadan.
A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Pkacid revealed ad follows:
The Nigeria Police Force announces the successful rescue of Mrs. Olaide Busayo Adegoke John-Paul and her 12-year-old twin sons, Peter and Paul, who were abducted on June 3, 2026, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The hostages were rescued during a coordinated operation by the Force Intelligence Department Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) in Ibadan at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
Mrs. Adegoke and her children were abducted while she was driving them to school at about 7:30 a.m. on June 3, 2026. The rescue was achieved through sustained intelligence gathering, surveillance, and tactical operations. These efforts enabled investigators to track the kidnappers’ movements, resulting in a confrontation with FID-IRT operatives.
During the confrontation, two suspected kidnappers were fatally wounded and two rifles were recovered. The victims were rescued unharmed and are now in safe custody, receiving medical care and support.
The Inspector-General of Police commends the courage, professionalism, and effectiveness of the FID-IRT operatives and all officers involved. Their resilience and commitment were instrumental in the safe rescue of the hostages.
Security operatives have intensified efforts in the area to apprehend fleeing members of the kidnapping syndicate. Preliminary intelligence indicates that some suspects escaped with gunshot injuries. Operations are ongoing to track, arrest, and bring all involved to justice.
The Nigeria Police Force appreciates the public’s support, cooperation, and patience during the operation. We remain committed to combating violent crime, protecting lives and property, and ensuring the safety of all citizens.
