The Defence Headquarters has urged Nigerians to exercise heightened caution amid the growing spread of disinformation and malinformation facilitated by emerging Artificial Intelligence technologies.
In a statement issued by the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Samaila Uba, the military described the video as “fake” and “malicious,” noting that the image of the CDS was cloned and the comments attributed to him were fabricated.
Brigadier General Uba debunked a viral video mischievously portraying the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede as making a false statement about plans to forcefully recruit Nigerians aged 18 and above into the military
It advised members of the public to thoroughly verify the authenticity of videos, statements, and other digital content before sharing them, in order to curb the dissemination of fake and misleading materials.
According to Uba, the fake video was designed to defame the character of the CDS and cast the Armed Forces of Nigeria in a negative light. He emphasised that the Nigerian military remains a noble profession that attracts thousands of patriotic citizens who voluntarily enlist during recruitment exercises across the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the purported statement was never made by the Chief of Defence Staff, any of the Service Chiefs, or any member of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” the statement clarified.
General Uba stressed that all official communications from the CDS should only be sourced from verified Defence Headquarters spokespersons and its official social media platforms.
The public has been advised to disregard the fake video and its misleading claims.
