A Facebook user shared a 15-minute video claiming that President Bola Tinubu spoke about efforts to secure the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The post, which had garnered over 12,000 likes, 630 comments, 2,800 shares, and 5 million views as of October 25, 2026, also claimed Tinubu addressed the sit-at-home order.
The video shows Tinubu addressing a large audience, speaking about the role of youth in making Nigeria a better, safer place, while also stressing the need for dialogue and peace over conflict. However, Dubawa, a fact-checking organization, found inconsistencies in the video, including Ghana's coat of arms behind Tinubu at the podium and the audio not syncing with his lip movements.
Further investigation by Dubawa revealed that the video is from Tinubu's January 2025 speech at Mahama's inauguration in Ghana, not a recent event. Media reports, including Channels TV, confirmed the occasion. The original video shows Tinubu expressing confidence in Mahama's administration, describing the inauguration as a celebration of African democracy, assuring Mahama of Nigeria's support, and urging African leaders to unite to tackle poverty and build resilient economies.
A thorough examination of the original video by Dubawa found that Tinubu did not mention Kanu, the sit-at-home order, or any of the statements attributed to him in the viral video. To verify the authenticity of the video, Dubawa converted it into audio and ran it through AI audio-detection tools, which returned a 66% probability that the audio is synthetic.
Dubawa also ran the video through SynthID Detector, an AI detection tool that analyzes video frames, and it returned a 62.6% confidence that the video is AI-generated, with 10 of the 17 analyzed frames flagged as AI-generated. These results point to manipulation of the original video.
The false claim has garnered significant attention, with many Facebook users sharing and commenting on the video. Some users expressed hope for Biafra freedom and Kanu's release, while others called for the implementation of Tinubu's supposed plans.
In conclusion, Dubawa found that while the video is real, the audio had been altered, and therefore, the claim that Tinubu made a statement about plans to release Nnamdi Kanu is false. The fact-checking organization urges users to be cautious when sharing information online to avoid spreading misinformation.
Key points
- The viral video claiming Tinubu spoke about releasing Nnamdi Kanu is false and was manipulated using AI tools.
- The original video is from Tinubu's January 2025 speech at Mahama's inauguration in Ghana.
- The audio of the viral video was altered to include statements not made by Tinubu.
