The police have detained eleven men for allegedly impersonating President John Dramani Mahama using a deepfake AI-generated video.
The 11 suspects, some of whom are thought to be citizens of Nigeria, were apprehended by the police’s Cyber Vetting Enforcement Team.
They are identified by the police as Raphael Ablordeppey, 32; Thomas Ayoyo, 17; Louis Segbawu, 18; Anipah Jonathan, 23; and Dzamesi Bright Kofi, 35.
Bishop Esiri, 46; Wisdom James, 25; Ali Lucky, 23; Edwin Edos, 22; John Kofi Darlington, 20; and Danu Peter, 19, are the others.
Additionally, 120 pre-registered SIM cards, computers, cell phones, internet routers, and a Mercedes Benz ML 350 registered in Nigeria with registration number Lagos LSR 138HR were among the exhibits that the police recovered.
The Cyber Vetting Enforcement Team carried out coordinated cyber operations at Sogakope, Dabala, Tongu, Akatsi, and Aflao in the Volta Region between May 1 and May 3, 2026, according to a police situational report.
Following intelligence on a group purportedly involved in producing and disseminating an AI-generated film mimicking President Mahama, the activities resulted in the arrests.
According to the report, five further suspects—four Nigerians and one Ghanaian—who were involved in similar online fraudulent activities in Aflao were apprehended on May 4, 2026, as a result of subsequent cyber field tracking operations.
According to preliminary investigations, the suspects exploited AI-generated content to deceitfully use internet platforms to obtain money and private information from gullible people.
According to the report, “it was further established that the suspects are part of a wider network engaged in the creation and dissemination of fraudulent digital contents designed to impersonate high-profile personalities for financial gains.”
Nine of the eleven suspects, according to the police, have been remanded into custody by the court and are scheduled to return on May 25, 2026. Louis Segbawu and Thomas Ayoyo, the other two, have been granted bail with two sureties apiece.
Source: newsthemegh.com