The Grassroots Mobilisation Initiative (GMI) has warned that Nigeria faces growing security risks if urgent action is not taken to curb the spread of artificial intelligence-driven fake news, deepfakes and other forms of digital disinformation.

The group said the misuse of advanced technologies to forge documents, clone voices of public officials, and produce realistic fake videos now poses a serious threat to national security, public trust, and social stability.

GMI National Coordinator, Samaila Musa, raised the alarm in a statement on Friday, expressing concern that disinformation campaigns are becoming more coordinated and harder for citizens to detect.

He said Nigeria, already battling insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, and communal conflicts, cannot afford additional instability driven by misinformation.

“What we are seeing today is no longer just casual sharing of rumours. Actors are now using Artificial Intelligence to forge documents, clone voices, and create deepfake videos of leaders,” Musa said.

He warned that such manipulated content, often circulated in local languages, is being used to mislead citizens, inflame tensions, and provoke violence in communities.

According to him, fake military reports, doctored videos, and false claims about security operations are particularly dangerous as they can weaken public confidence and demoralise troops.

“The constant spread of fake military casualty figures and false narratives only serves to demoralise security personnel and embolden criminals,” he added.

The group also cautioned that disinformation is increasingly being weaponised to exploit Nigeria’s ethnic and religious diversity, potentially triggering reprisals and deepening divisions.

GMI urged Nigerians to verify information before sharing, calling on law enforcement agencies to strengthen enforcement of cybercrime laws against perpetrators of digital falsehoods.

It also appealed to social media platforms such as Meta, X, and TikTok to improve monitoring systems and quickly remove harmful content capable of inciting violence.

Musa noted that while economic challenges can be addressed over time, the damage caused by widespread ethnic and religious conflict fueled by fake news could have long-term consequences for national unity.

“A damaged economy can be repaired, but a nation torn apart by ethnic and religious violence fueled by digital lies is difficult to rebuild,” he said.

The warning comes amid rising global concerns over the misuse of artificial intelligence tools to create convincing but false content, with Nigeria already witnessing repeated cases of manipulated videos, fake images, and forged documents circulating during elections and major national events.