President warns that deepfake videos and the weaponisation of religion are used for political gain.

ABUJA — The Presidency has issued a warning about a surge of deepfake videos and other manipulated online content that it says is being used to weaponise religion for political ends ahead of the upcoming election season.

The alert was released on Thursday by the Office of Digital Engagement and Strategy through its official X account.

In a public service announcement, the Presidency said it has identified a pattern of coordinated digital misinformation targeting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The misinformation includes fabricated videos and false audio overlays that have circulated on social media platforms and messaging apps.

The statement highlighted a recent deepfake video that falsely portrays a religious leader, allegedly designed to incite Muslims against the President.

“We are aware of yet another deliberate attempt to weaponise religion for politics across various online platforms,” the statement read.

It added that a similar incident had occurred earlier, involving a manipulated video with fake audio and false attribution that aimed to portray the President negatively by exploiting an influencer’s identity.

The Presidency warned that this trend reflects a deliberate strategy by “desperate actors” to distort facts, manufacture outrage, and inflame religious tensions as political activities intensify.

“As the political season approaches, desperate actors will continue to manufacture outrage, distort faith, manipulate context, spread falsehoods, and push dangerous emotional bait across social media platforms and WhatsApp groups in an attempt to divide Nigerians for political gain,” it stated.

The statement reaffirmed President Tinubu’s personal and national stance on religious tolerance. It noted that the President is a Muslim married to a Christian and that he leads a multi‑religious country grounded in constitutional freedom of worship and peaceful coexistence.

It also referenced his 2026 Easter and Ramadan messages, in which he emphasised shared values between Christianity and Islam, including compassion, justice, sacrifice, and love for humanity.

The Presidency urged Nigerians to exercise caution before sharing inflammatory content online, warning citizens to question who stands to benefit from the spread of divisive narratives.

“This is not faith or patriotism. Neither is it politics. This is coordinated manipulation at scale,” it said.

It further called on citizens to verify information before sharing and to resist attempts to destabilise national unity through misinformation.

The statement also warned that individuals and groups involved in spreading false or malicious content could face investigation and prosecution under relevant cybercrime and public order laws in Nigeria.

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