By Abubakar Yunusa
The Grassroots Mobilisation Initiative(GMI )has raised alarm over what it described as an alarming rise in fabricated news and disinformation across Nigeria, warning that the trend now poses a serious threat to national security and social cohesion.
The group, in a statement on Friday by its National Coordinator, Samaila Musa, accused unnamed “malicious elements and unpatriotic citizens” of deliberately manufacturing false narratives to sow distrust between the government and the people.
It said the situation had gone beyond ordinary political propaganda, describing it as a coordinated assault on Nigeria’s unity, peace and stability at a time the country is already battling multiple security crises.
Musa warned that digital platforms were now being weaponised to circulate fake stories capable of triggering violence, stressing that Nigerians must become more cautious about information shared online.
He said the danger had been worsened by the use of advanced technology, including artificial intelligence, to produce deepfake videos, cloned voices of public officials, and forged documents designed to mislead the public.
According to him, some of the manipulated content is deliberately produced in local languages to inflame emotions, incite panic, and provoke reprisal attacks across communities.
The group listed the circulation of fake military casualty figures, doctored security operation videos, and false claims against security agencies as major examples undermining troop morale and emboldening criminal elements.
Musa warned that such content was also being used to stoke ethnic and religious tensions, insisting there were coordinated efforts to pit regions and faiths against one another for political and economic gain.
He said while citizens have the right to criticise government policies, deliberately fabricating stories to provoke unrest crosses the line into sabotage against national stability.
“We cannot continue to fold our arms and watch digital mercenaries destroy the fabric of our society,” he said.
The group urged Nigerians to verify information before sharing, especially on sensitive security matters, warning that forwarders of false content could be indirectly responsible for violence.
It also called on security agencies to fully enforce cybercrime laws and ensure perpetrators of fake news networks are prosecuted without bias.
The organisation further urged global tech firms including [Meta](https://about.meta.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [X](https://x.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com), and [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com) to strengthen content monitoring and swiftly remove harmful misinformation, especially content translated into Nigerian languages.
GMI warned that while economic challenges can be managed through reforms, violence triggered by disinformation could leave deeper and more lasting scars on national unity.
