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Claim: A Facebook video showed controversial cleric, Ahmed Gumi, asking the Federal Government (FG) to negotiate with the bandits and include their welfare in the Nigerian budget.
Verdict: FALSE. DUBAWA’s analyses revealed that the video was generated using artificial intelligence. Also, no credible media reported that the cleric made such a statement.
Full Text
A Facebook user, Prime Entertainment, shared a 30-second video where the controversial cleric advised the Federal Government (FG) to negotiate with bandits and include their welfare in the national budget.
As of Nov. 27, 2025, the video had garnered over 27,000 reactions, 28,000 comments, and 15,000 reshares.
The post’s comment section revealed a disparity of opinions regarding the claim. However, the overwhelming majority’s reaction was emotionally charged against the counsel.
For instance, Malafakumo Ibe expressed surprise at the cleric’s audacity amidst Nigeria’s current insurgency. She said, “Is this man called Gumi above the Nigerian government? It’s just a question.”
Ohaeri Bright said, “Let me explain, he meant that a paragraph in the annual budget should carry something like 5 billion naira for the annual upkeep of Nigerian bandits.”
However, we identified multiple users who claimed the video was generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
One user, Vic Vic, said, “This is AI, though, but still, who negotiates with bandits?” Another user, Kangoma Turay, said, “This is an AI-generated video; notice the robotic sound beneath.”
The differing opinions expressed in the post and its implications for the recent security situation in Nigeria prompted DUBAWA to conduct the fact check.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted manual analysis to verify the video’s authenticity. Our discoveries revealed several anomalies associated with visuals.
The unnatural body movement was incoherent and inconsistent in the video. We also observed a difference between the voice in the video and an existing video featuring Gumi speaking.
To confirm our suspicion, we used TruthScan AI, an AI-powered voice authentication tool, to analyse the voiceover. It showed a 96 per cent likelihood that the audio is generated using AI.
We also used Attestiv Video Deepfake Detector to analyse the video. The result revealed a high prevalence of face replacement and inauthentic visual generation. These are clear traits regularly seen in AI-generated visual content.
We reviewed recent interviews he granted, but found none in which he advocated including bandits’ welfare in the national budget.
Conclusion
No credible media organisation reported that Ahmad Gumi advocated for bandits’ welfare in the national budget. Analysis of the video also revealed that the voiceover and visuals were generated using artificial intelligence. Therefore, the claim is false.
