GVU Journal of Management and Social Sciences https:journals.sau.edu.ng/index.php/sjmas (ISSN: 2550-7302), Vol. 7, Number 2, June, 2022. 118 Implications of Fake News for Nigeria’s Security Olaolu Olaruku Olaimolu Department of Mass Communication Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria olaoluolaimolu@gmail.com Olusegun Hakeem Adebumiti Department of Mass Communication Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria hakeemade@gmail.com; adebumiti.oh@achievers.edu.ng Abstract This study is an examination of fake news and its implications for Nigeria’s security. The researchers used secondary sources of data. Data were collected from published and unpublished materials. The researchers argued that fake news is a threat to the good health and social wellbeing of Nigerians, democracy, political stability and can also cause violence and social unrest in the country. Thus, it was concluded that fake news is very harmful to Nigeria and people living in it. It was recommended that the Nigerian government should enact laws that would guard against fake news and strict sanctions should be placed on anyone found guilty. Keywords: Fake News, Insecurity, Nigeria’s Security, New Media, Traditional Media Introduction The issue of insecurity has been a major cause for concern in Nigeria. Udoh (2015) asserts that there have been too many cases of insecurity that have caused deaths and psychological trauma for Nigerian families. This has made the country an unsafe place to stay. Owonikoko (2021) states that many business owners have been forced to abandon their hard-earned investments and flee their homes. He adds that the insecurity issues have also forced many foreign investors to either move their businesses out of Nigeria completely or substantially. No state is spared from these insecurity issues, which is why Olaniyonu (2021) argues that the issue of insurgency that use to be associated with only the North East has now spread to other states in the three northern zones. He also maintains that the alarming rise of banditry in many states in the North and kidnapping in other parts of the country has become a national threat that has made the country unsafe. The 2021 Global Peace Index (GPI) ranked Nigeria 146 among 163 nations and territories according to its level of peacefulness (Olaiya, 2021). This is very bad for Nigeria. The Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, during the inauguration of a charity and social development centre in Akure in 2021, confirmed the increase in the numbers of widows and orphans in Nigeria, and also blamed this increase on insecurity issues in Nigeria (Dada, 2021). This proves the extreme level of insecurity in Nigeria.