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United States-based artificial intelligence platform, Grok, has responded to questions over whether President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Independence Day address was generated using artificial intelligence.

President Bola Tinubu, during his Independence Day address on Thursday, declared that the challenges confronting Nigerians were coming to an end and that prosperity was ahead.

In the lengthy broadcast aired by major Nigerian television stations, including Channels TV, Tinubu said there would be no reversal of the fuel subsidy removal policy, which had pushed petrol prices to between N1,370 and N1,423 per litre in Abuja and surrounding areas.

The address generated reactions from Nigerians, including opposition politicians.

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, described Tinubu’s Independence Day speech as empty and filled with “Yahoo Yahoo” promises.

Meanwhile, a group on X known as iOccupyNigeria alleged that Tinubu’s broadcast had been produced using artificial intelligence.

“For the first time in Nigeria’s history dem use AI to do Presidential broadcast. How we reach this level as a people.

“BTW Villa media people, next time try small, Tinubu mouth no dey even move in sync with him words,” the group said.

However, responding to a question from an X user on Friday, Grok, the Elon Musk-owned AI platform, said it found no indication that Tinubu’s Independence Day address was AI-generated.

“Modern AI-generated videos can be virtually indistinguishable from authentic content, making definitive determination difficult or impossible from visual inspection alone.

“This appears to be a genuine official recording of President Tinubu delivering his 2026 Independence Day address from Aso Villa. It matches the full speech text published by multiple Nigerian media outlets, carries official branding, shows natural movements over nearly 20 minutes, and was posted by his verified account on the day. No signs of AI generation,” Grok said.

Tinubu, Atiku and Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress are among the 18 presidential candidates cleared for the January 16 presidential election.

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The Imo State Police Command has located the suspected camp where the kidnappers holding abducted prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members are believed to be operating, but security forces have yet to storm the hideout due to the discovery of suspected improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The Commissioner of Police in Imo State, CP Audu Garba Bosso, disclosed the development while giving an update on efforts to rescue the victims.

According to the police chief, security operatives deployed drones and other intelligence-gathering resources to trace the abductors after the attack on vehicles conveying prospective corps members travelling to their orientation camps.

The victims were abducted along the Owerri–Onitsha axis in Imo State, after suspected kidnappers attacked two buses conveying the prospective corps members.

Bosso said security agencies have been able to identify the location of the kidnappers’ hideout, but a direct assault on the camp could put the lives of both the hostages and security personnel at risk because of the reported IEDs.

He said security forces are therefore preparing specialised equipment, including bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers (APCs), to safely gain access to the area and rescue the victims.

The police had earlier announced the rescue of 10 prospective corps members following the attack, while efforts continued to locate and safely recover those still in captivity.

The latest development has raised hopes that the remaining victims could soon regain their freedom, as security agencies intensify operations around the suspected kidnappers’ camp.

Authorities have also urged members of the public to remain calm and provide security agencies with useful information that could assist the ongoing rescue operation.

The police have maintained that the primary objective of the operation is to secure the safe release of the abducted prospective corps members without exposing them to additional danger.

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Federal Capital Territory FCT minister Nyesom Wike on a memory lane said his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi has failed to win any election after he supervised his Guber election in Rivers in 2011.

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