New Frontiers in Insecurity: The Implications of AI-Driven Deepfake News on National Security

Background: Nigeria’s digital information environment between 2020 and 2026 has been destabilised by AI-driven deepfake technology, which poses escalating threats to national security, democratic governance, and institutional trust. Deepfakes are increasingly accessible, technically sophisticated, and rapid to produce and disseminate, yet the scholarly literature on their security implications in African political contexts remains limited. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the implications of AI-driven deepfake news on national security in Nigeria; investigated the role of the media in mitigating these effects; identified the challenges facing the media in combating synthetic disinformation; and proposed a strategic media framework for addressing deepfake threats. Method: A qualitative exploratory design was adopted. Primary data were generated through structured brainstorming sessions with eight purposively selected participants comprising senior journalists, digital verification professionals, and political communications stakeholders with direct exposure to the 2023 Nigerian election cycle. Secondary data were drawn from peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, and verified journalistic reports, analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase framework. Results: Findings confirm that AI-driven deepfake news constitutes an active and multidimensional national security threat. Deepfakes do not simply deceive; they generate pervasive uncertainty, erode trust in media and institutions, activate confirmation bias in politically charged environments, and create the “Liar’s Dividend” effect wherein authentic evidence is dismissed as potentially fabricated. The Nigerian media faces acute capacity, resource, and regulatory deficits in responding to this threat. Conclusion: Sustainable mitigation requires an integrated strategy combining institutional deepfake detection capacity, public media literacy, regulatory development, and pre-emptive crisis communication protocols. The media’s agenda-setting, investigative, and fact-checking functions are indispensable to national security in the deepfake era. Unique Contribution: This study introduces an empirically grounded, Africa-contextualised analysis of deepfake news as a national security threat, incorporating the Liar’s Dividend mechanism, confirmation bias dynamics, and the structural media capacity deficit specific to Nigeria. It advances the deepfake governance literature beyond Western institutional contexts and provides a replicable qualitative framework for similar emerging-economy analyses.  Key Recommendation: A four-pillar strategic response framework is recommended: (1) institutional capacity building through AI-assisted deepfake detection units; (2) sustained public media literacy campaigns; (3) regulatory advocacy for clear, enforceable deepfake legislation; and (4) transparent, pre-emptive crisis communication protocols. Coordination among media organisations, regulatory agencies, technology platforms, and civil society is essential for sustainable impact.