Rise Of Fake News Threatens National Security — Group

The Grassroots Mobilisation Initiative (GMI) yesterday expressed concern over the growing spread of fabricated news and disinformation across Nigeria, saying it poses serious threat to national security and social cohesion.

The group faulted those it called “malicious elements and unpatriotic citizens” of deliberately manufacturing and disseminating false information aimed at creating distrust between the citizens and the government, while fueling instability across the country.

In a statement issued by its national coordinator, Samaila Musa, the organisation said the deliberate distortion of facts and outright fabrication of stories had moved beyond political propaganda and now constitutes a direct attack on Nigeria’s peace, unity and security.

According to GMI, Nigeria is already grappling with multiple security challenges and cannot afford additional threats from individuals who exploit digital platforms to spread misinformation capable of triggering violence and social unrest.

Musa said: “As a grassroots organisation rooted in the realities of ordinary Nigerians, we are compelled to speak out. The deliberate twisting of facts and the outright fabrication of stories have reached a level that can no longer be ignored.

“Nigeria is currently dealing with serious security challenges on multiple fronts, and we cannot allow digital saboteurs to push the nation into avoidable crises through lies.

“What we are seeing today is no longer just the casual sharing of unverified rumours on WhatsApp. Mischief-makers and desperate actors are now using advanced technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) to forge official documents, clone the voices of top government officials and create deepfake videos of religious and regional leaders.

“These manipulated videos and audios are intentionally created in local languages to deceive the public, create panic and trigger spontaneous violence in our communities. When people can no longer distinguish between a genuine statement from security agencies and a fabricated clip designed to cause trouble, our collective safety is in extreme danger.

“Nigeria is a diverse nation, and our unity is something we must guard jealously. When people sit in the comfort of their rooms and invent stories about ethnic attacks, military compromises, or artificial economic failure, they are not exercising freedom of speech. This is clear sabotage against the peace and survival of our country.”

The group identified three major areas where fake news and disinformation are causing significant harm.

GMI said the circulation of false military casualty figures, doctored videos of security operations and misleading narratives about the armed forces undermine the morale of troops engaged in frontline operations against insurgents, bandits, and other criminal elements.