Nigeria’s Ahmadu Bello University dismisses AI-generated video alleging secret uranium enrichment and weapon development in the 1980s.
The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria has firmly denied allegations that it was involved in developing a secret nuclear weapon for Nigeria, describing the claims as entirely false and digitally fabricated.
In a statement issued on Saturday October 25, 2025, the University’s Director of Public Affairs, Malam Auwalu Umar, said the allegation originated from an AI-generated video that sought to misinform the public about Nigeria’s peaceful nuclear energy program. The video, which circulated online, purportedly claimed that Nigerian scientists in the 1980s had enriched weapons-grade uranium in Kaduna and that researchers from ABU had obtained centrifuge technology from Pakistan’s AQ Khan network.
Umar dismissed the claims as “baseless, unfounded, and unsubstantiated,” stressing that the video was a deliberate attempt to distort Nigeria’s long-standing commitment to the peaceful use of nuclear technology. He emphasized that such misinformation could undermine both public confidence and international partnerships in Nigeria’s scientific and energy research efforts.
Acording to Umar, the allegations were not only inaccurate but also historically impossible. “Most of our scientists at the Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT) were still undergoing training abroad during the 1980s,” he explained. “They could not have participated in any uranium enrichment or related activities.”
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He further clarified that Nigeria’s nuclear program has always operated under the supervision and guidance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The country’s first nuclear reactor, known as the Nigeria Research Reactor-1 (NIRR-1), was not even established until 1996 under the IAEA Technical Cooperation Program and was officially commissioned in 2004.
The ABU spokesperson reaffirmed that both the university and Nigeria remain committed to global non-proliferation agreements, adding that the nation’s nuclear research focuses solely on energy development, medicine, agriculture, and scientific innovation.
Analysts say the emergence of such AI-generated disinformation underscores growing concerns about the misuse of artificial intelligence in spreading false narratives that can inflame public debate or strain diplomatic relations.
Nigeria, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), has repeatedly emphasized that its nuclear ambitions are confined to peaceful purposes and closely monitored by international bodies.
Umar concluded by urging the public to disregard the misleading video and rely on verified information from credible sources, reiterating that Ahmadu Bello University remains a reputable center of academic excellence with no involvement in any military or weapons-related nuclear activity.