Nigerian Army Moves to Halt AI-Driven Defamation Campaign Against Senior Officers
The Nigerian Army has commenced legal action against individuals allegedly orchestrating a sustained campaign of blackmail and defamation targeting senior military officers through fabricated allegations, artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content and manipulated multimedia materials circulated on social media platforms.
PRNigeria gathered the military authority activated legal processes in response to what it described as a coordinated campaign involving false allegations, AI-generated videos and images, fake obituary notices and other misleading content directed at serving officers.
The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) recently cautioned the public against relying on unverified social media content, particularly materials circulating on TikTok and other digital platforms, stressing that appropriate legal steps had been initiated to protect the integrity of the institution and its personnel.
At the centre of the controversy is former soldier Ruth Ogunleye, who was retired from the Nigerian Army and has since become active on social media. Within the past week, she reportedly published a series of allegations against the Chief of Army Chief, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Major General Oluyemi Olatoye, and the Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Apollonia Anele.
According to findings by PRNigeria, the online campaign extends beyond written claims to include AI-generated multimedia content and fabricated obituary announcements portraying senior military officers as deceased, alongside allegations of sexual misconduct and corruption against serving personnel.
Security and communications experts told PRNigeria that the increasing deployment of AI-generated audio, video and images in online campaigns poses a growing challenge because such materials can appear authentic and spread rapidly before they are independently verified.
In its response, the Nigerian Defence Academy said allegations linking its Commandant to a dispute involving a civilian staff member, Mr. Abubakar Isah, were false and misleading.
The Academy maintained that the matter had been exploited to make defamatory claims against Major General Olatoye, adding that the Commandant had no personal relationship with the staff member and that attempts to connect him to the incident lacked any factual basis.
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The latest allegations come more than two years after Ogunleye publicly accused Colonel I.B. Abdulkareem of sexual harassment, intimidation, retaliation and abuse while she was still serving in the Nigerian Army.
Those allegations generated widespread public attention in 2024, prompting the Army to refer the matter to the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police for investigation.
Following months of investigation, the Army announced on September 24, 2024, that the panel found no evidence to substantiate the allegations against Colonel Abdulkareem.
The findings were made public by the then Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu.
After the outcome of the investigation, Ogunleye publicly apologised to the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, while requesting a review of the investigation, arguing that she believed the outcome had been influenced.
PRNigeria further gathered that military authorities have observed what they consider a recurring pattern in which officials who publicly respond to or communicate the Army’s position on the allegations subsequently become targets of online attacks.
Major General Nwachukwu, who merely announced the findings of the military police investigation, later became the subject of separate allegations, while the current Army spokesperson, Colonel Anele, has also reportedly been targeted with what security sources described as false and defamatory claims.
The extension of the campaign to the leadership of the Nigerian Defence Academy and senior Army officials has raised concerns within security circles over what analysts describe as an attempt to undermine public confidence in military institutions through coordinated online disinformation.
Rather than engage in exchanges on social media, PRNigeria gathered that Army authorities have opted to pursue legal remedies, with the NDA’s decision to institute court proceedings signalling a determination to allow the allegations to be tested through judicial processes.
Legal practitioners consulted by PRNigeria noted that the deliberate creation and dissemination of AI-generated content intended to damage reputations could attract both civil and criminal liability under Nigeria’s Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act and other applicable laws governing defamation and digital misconduct.
As of the time of filing this report, Ruth Ogunleye had not publicly responded to the specific allegations of fabrication and AI-generated manipulation highlighted in PRNigeria‘s investigation. PRNigeria says it remains open to publishing her response should it become available.
By PRNigeria
