The Department of Defense (DHQ) has sounded the alarm on the increasing use of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, to fabricate and disseminate false content involving senior military officials, calling the trend a dangerous form of misinformation.
The military high command said this in a statement released by the Director of Defense Intelligence, Major General Samaira Uba, on Tuesday.
According to DHQ, the warning follows the circulation of a fabricated video on social media platforms falsely portraying the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), General OO Oluyede. In some cases, the videos also attempted to misrepresent the person appearing as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. OO Oluyede.
The National Defense Headquarters categorically rejected the video as fake, misleading and unauthorized.
“The General Command categorically states that this video is false and misleading and does not represent any official communication, position, statement, or engagement involving either the Chief of Defense Staff or the Chief of Army Staff.
“This content is a deliberate attempt to misinform the public and create confusion regarding the operations and leadership of the Nigerian Armed Forces,” the statement said.
DHQ urged the public to ignore the video completely, stressing that it did not come from any official military source.
It noted that the preliminary assessment revealed clear signs of digital manipulation by artificial intelligence technology.
“Evaluation of the video shows that the content shows clear signs of digital manipulation predicated on artificial intelligence and should not be trusted in any way,” the statement added.
The military high command also warned social media influencers, bloggers, content creators and online commentators against sharing, reposting, endorsing or amplifying unverified military-related content.
“The pursuit of online visibility and engagement should not come at the expense of truth, national security and responsible journalism,” DHQ warned.
The military high command encouraged journalists and members of the public to check military-related information through the official communication channels of the National Defense Headquarters before publication or dissemination.
He reiterated that the Nigerian Armed Forces will continue to uphold its constitutional obligations and work tirelessly to safeguard the country’s sovereignty, peace and security.
