2027: Police partner tech firms to track deepfake creators

Politics Spice Special Features Education Sex & Relationship Interview Columns Opinion Advertise with us 2027: Police partner tech firms to track deepfake creators News November 11, 2026 4:19 pm File Photo: Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu.

The Nigeria Police Force says it is strengthening its cyber intelligence operations, deploying digital forensic investigations and working with social media platforms to detect and investigate the use of artificial intelligence to spread disinformation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The police said the measures were aimed at identifying individuals behind manipulated videos, cloned voices, impersonation and coordinated online campaigns capable of misleading voters and undermining confidence in the electoral process.

The Force also disclosed that it had carried out targeted raids on phone farms and arrested suspects involved in creating deepfake content to manipulate online conversations, adding that the police had established measures to identify people behind manipulated content, verify suspicious information and preserve electronic evidence for possible prosecution.

The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, gave the warning through an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Bashir Abdullahi, during The PUNCH webinar on artificial intelligence, misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 elections on Wednesday.

Abdullahi said the police had learnt from the challenges encountered during the 2023 elections and established the National Cybercrime Centre to strengthen its response to technology-enabled crimes.

The ACP further noted that the police had engaged technology companies, including Meta and TikTok, to help identify the people behind suspicious information circulated on social media.

He explained that the arrangement would enable the police to obtain information about the users responsible, establish where the content originated, request its removal and preserve evidence for investigations.

“We have made an effort now to shake hands with tech companies, most of the social media platforms, TikTok, Meta is the mother company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and what have you.

“So, we were able to shake hands with them. This time around, whenever any information of this nature appears on our social media platform, we are going to immediately cross-check with these tech companies to tell us who is behind this information.

“So, one, we get the user particulars. Two, we get the location from which this information is coming out. Number three, request for it to be taken down and the preservation of evidence. And an operational team is on the ground to move to wherever this information is disseminated from to effect the accuracy and subsequent prosecution,” he said.

Abdullahi disclosed that the police had already encountered cases involving voice cloning and deepfakes, including one in Benin, Edo State, where a suspect allegedly created a manipulated video of the President making statements he never made.

He said officers traced and arrested the suspect, who, when questioned, claimed he had created the video “just to trend”.

The police representative said the Force would not tolerate the spread of misinformation or disinformation capable of affecting the 2027 elections.

He added that the police had mechanisms to prevent, detect and investigate such activities, with the aim of bringing those responsible to justice.

Abdullahi said the police were also using cyber intelligence gathering and monitoring to identify coordinated networks involved in malicious information manipulation.

He listed digital forensic examinations of AI-generated audio and the analysis of materials circulated on social media among the activities being undertaken.

The ACP also stated that their investigations would focus on offences such as cyberstalking, criminal intimidation, impersonation, threats and incitement, where the necessary legal elements had been established.

Abdullahi, however, assured Nigerians that the police would not use the fight against disinformation as a justification to infringe on freedom of expression.

He said the Force was adopting proactive policing, with officers expected to gather sufficient information before making arrests.

“If you see the police knocking on your door, definitely we have already gotten our information. It’s proactive policing. We are not going to do the reactive kind of policing; we must have gathered enough information regarding the conduct,” he said.

He said the police were mindful of the legal consequences of arresting people for expressing political opinions protected by the Constitution.

Abdullahi said the police would preserve electronic evidence where there were doubts about the intention or potential consequences of online content, rather than automatically disrupting the expression of public opinion.

He added that the Force was also working with the Independent National Electoral Commission, the National Broadcasting Commission, the National Orientation Agency, civil society organisations, media organisations and other relevant agencies to strengthen information management ahead of the elections.

He said information about electoral procedures and decisions, including any announcement that an election had been postponed, must be verified by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“For example, it’s just two days to the election, and somebody comes up to say that the election has been postponed; such information must be verified from INEC. No other source, apart from INEC, can give out such kind of very serious information regarding the control of artificial intelligence of the election,” he said.

He said the police’s responsibility was to manage security, while working with relevant agencies to verify information and address threats associated with its circulation.

Abdullahi said the Force would continue to work with other agencies and stakeholders to address threats arising from voice cloning, deepfakes and other forms of digital manipulation.

The PUNCH webinar series, themed “AI, Misinformation and Nigeria’s 2027 Elections: Safeguarding the Truth, Protecting the Vote,” is aimed at promoting the responsible use of AI during the polls and addressing concerns that the technology could be exploited to manipulate voters, spread disinformation and weaken public confidence.

The police announcement follows warnings from the Independent National Electoral Commission about AI-driven disinformation.

INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, has said AI has made it easier to create fake videos, edited images and cloned voice recordings that look completely real.

The commission has also said it fears a deepfake could be used on the eve of the polls to announce a fake postponement.

Fake AI content involving public figures has already surfaced. Earlier this year, the Presidency threatened legal action against a social media commentator over an AI-generated audio falsely attributed to President Bola Tinubu.

Nigeria’s Cybercrime Act, as amended in 2024, criminalises false digital communications designed to harm or damage a person’s reputation, though critics say it has sometimes been used against legitimate dissent.

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