If at any point in 2025 you did not make statements or ask questions such as “Is it AI?”, “This looks AI-generated,” or “AI or real?”, then you must be among the very few people who paid little attention to social media or do not own any social media accounts.
In 2025, the Nigerian social media landscape was inundated with major misinformation trends, patterns and campaigns, worsened by the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Misinformation trends that highlight citizens’ concerns about insecurity, economic situation, politics, and health spread across social media platforms.
Recycled posts, AI-generated content, out-of-context picture and video clips, to mention a few, were used to drive false narratives aimed at deceiving members of the public.
Below are some of the major misinformation trends CableCheck debunked in 2025.
AI USED FOR POLITICAL MISINFORMATION AND PROPAGANDA
The use of AI tools for misinformation is arguably the major misinformation trend in the Nigerian social media landscape in 2025. Fake news merchants deploy AI tools to create misleading video, audio and picture content that is sometimes difficult to detect at first glance.
This AI-generated content was often designed to imitate real-life people, events and places in a way that one can hardly differentiate between the real and the doctored — a development that amplified the impact and spread of false narratives.
AI-generated content was deployed to drive false political narratives, elicit contempt for democratic institutions, and create tensions among political stakeholders.
SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS USING AI VIDEOS TO AMPLIFY PRO-TRAORE PROPAGANDA
In May, CableCheck published an investigation exposing how some social media accounts were using AI to amplify the propaganda of Ibrahim Traore, Burkina Faso’s military leader.
Using AI-generated pictures and videos, these social media accounts regularly publish false and misleading posts about policies and infrastructural projects that Traore did not initiate or execute.
CableCheck observed that the online content contributed to a largely favourable perception of Traore, which led to the growing popularity of military rule among many African youths.
IMAGES OF ALIA’S STATUES AT BENUE ROUNDABOUTS
Another example was the use of AI-generated pictures of Hyacinth Alia to spread the false narrative that the statues of the Benue governor were being erected at roundabouts in the state.
A close examination of the images showed that they were generated with an AI tool. In one of the pictures, the builders standing on the scaffolding of the statue have no distinct heads or features.
CableCheck discovered that the pictures were created with an image generative AI website known as Leonardo.ai.
The images were designed to spread the narrative that the Alia-led government was wasting taxpayers’ resources on building monuments.
VIDEO OF TINUBU THREATENING CITIZENS WHO LABEL HIS STATEMENTS AS AI
President Bola Tinubu was also not spared from the AI misinformation menace.
In August, a doctored video of the president threatening Nigerians who labelled his statements as AI-generated went viral.
In the one-minute video, Tinubu assured that “full consequences” would result from the “disrespect.”
CableCheck traced the video to a TikTok account named @uncle_tarrmie with 15.5k followers, where multiple AI videos of Tinubu making absurd announcements were found.
VIRAL PHOTOS OF NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS BEARING ARMS IN CHURCHES
The aftermath of the attack on worshippers by bandits at a branch of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) at Oke Isegun in the Eruku community in Kwara state on November 18, generated different false narratives of Christians carrying guns as a means of self-defence in worship centres.
AI-generated images of worshippers bearing arms were shared on different social media platforms, while a picture from a skit was mispresented as a real event.
AI IMAGES AND VIDEOS USED BY DUBIOUS INVESTMENT PLATFORMS
Pictures and videos of many Nigerian celebrities and very important persons (VIPs) were often used to create AI videos, which were used to advertise dubious investment platforms.
In the videos, the personalities were seen purportedly promoting such investments.
In September, an AI-edited video showing Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, advertising an investment platform called “AfriQuantumX” appeared online.
Obi was purportedly telling people to invest in the platform and get the sum of “7 million” every month.
CableCheck analysed keyframes from the video on Google Lens and found that the original video that was doctored was from Obi’s speech during the May 2017 edition of ‘The Platform Nigeria’ programme.
The testimonials on the investment website were also AI-generated.
VIRAL VIDEO OF DANGOTE LAUNCHING INVESTMENT SCHEME
A video showing Aliko Dangote, chairman of the Dangote Group, purportedly launching an investment scheme “designed to help Nigerians grow their wealth” also trended online.
In the two-minute video, Dangote purportedly endorsed the investment programme and urged Nigerians aged 30 and above to invest.
Analysis of key frames from the video showed that the doctored video was taken from an interview Dangote granted on October 28 at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
GENDERED MISINFORMATION
Women, especially those at the peak of their careers, were victims of gendered misinformation in 2025.
A CableCheck investigation showed a rising tide of digital slander, coordinated smears, and personal attacks against four women: Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, a Kogi senator; Oby Ezekwesili, a former vice president of the World Bank; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the internationally acclaimed author and feminist; and Ayra Starr, the music sensation.
In Akpoti-Uduaghan’s case, the online smears rippled into a physical attack on her home, triggered by her political fallout with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
All four women encountered attacks that were different in detail but similar in intent and impact. Akpoti-Uduaghan’s mixed-race appearance was used to draw parallels with her perceived competence as a senator and question her morals.
Ezekwesili also endured a barrage of insults to her appearance. Adichie’s backlash came from her choice to have her children through surrogacy, drawing sharp parallels from the online community between her decision and her feminist ideals.
Ayra Starr endured a campaign propagating unfounded claims about her oral hygiene.
The misinformation campaigns were found to discredit, distract, and ultimately silence women in high positions, especially those who do not conform to gender-based expectations.
Another negative online trend against women in 2025 was the use of AI to “undress” women’s images.
RECYCLED/OLD POSTS
Recycled and old posts were another major source of misinformation in 2025. Fake news merchants made use of recycled and old posts to drive false narratives. Old videos, as far back as 2019, were used to depict recent events.
In April, some social media users claimed that terrorists set fire to a yam market located in Plateau state.
CableCheck discovered that the picture had been online since March 2021. The image was used when fire reportedly razed the popular Namu Central Yam Market in Qu’an Pan LGA of Plateau.
In October, a viral post on Facebook claimed that the police command in Kaduna rescued 300 people from a house in the Rigasa community in Igabi LGA of the state. The post was published to indicate that the incident happened recently.
However, it was discovered that the rescue operation took place in 2019.
LOCATION MISATTRIBUTION
Videos and pictures of events in other parts of the world were often attributed to Nigeria to spread false narratives. This trend could be seen in narratives meant to depict the prevailing insecurity in the country. Videos of terrorists’ activities in other African countries were often falsely attributed to Nigeria.
Recently, a video of a fire incident in a nursing school in Ghana was falsely attributed to the activities of jihadists in Nigeria.
In August, a video showing residents of some communities in Congo fleeing their homes was falsely attributed to Nigeria.
Another video from Sudan showing insurgents transporting several trucks across a vast stretch of land was also falsely attributed to Nigeria.
In September, a video showing some gunmen taking over armoured vehicles in Burkina Faso was falsely attributed to an incident in Nigeria.
TAX MISINFORMATION
Following the signing of the four tax reform bills into law on June 26, several misinterpretations of the law emerged.
One of such claims was that Nigerians will pay N500 for every N10,000 they spend on petrol consumption starting from January 2026.
The Nigerian Tax Law, Nigeria Tax Administration Act, the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Law, and the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act are expected to take effect from January 1, 2026, under a renamed agency — the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
In the tax law, a 5 percent surcharge was imposed on chargeable fossil fuel products.
Following the rumour, Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the presidential fiscal policy and tax reforms committee, said the 5 percent charge is not new.
He further clarified that the 5 percent tax on petroleum products will not take effect in January 2026 as claimed. The surcharge will only commence when it is signed by the finance minister and subsequently published in the official gazette, making it legally effective
Another misinformation about the tax law was that Nigerians without a TIN would lose access to bank accounts from January 2026.
However, anyone with a National Identification Number (NIN) is already tax-compliant.
Akpe Adoh, head of corporate communications of the Joint Tax Board, in a statement, also assured Nigerians that they will continue to have access to their bank account and also continue to carry out financial transactions even beyond January 1, 2026.
