The Defence Headquarters has raised the alarm over an attempted cyberattack on its official X account, warning Nigerians to be wary of any suspicious message that may appear on the military’s platform.
The DHQ disclosed on Saturday that its official account had come under an attempted unauthorised compromise, prompting the military authorities to activate technical measures to secure the platform.
The Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, said the incident was being handled as a cybersecurity matter while efforts continued to regain and maintain full control of the account.
The warning is significant because the DHQ’s X account, @DHQNigeria, is one of the Armed Forces of Nigeria’s major channels for releasing official information to the public and the media.
The account has close to one million followers and is regularly used to publish updates on military operations, security developments and statements from the defence authorities.
Uba urged Nigerians not to believe or circulate any questionable material that could be posted from the account while the security breach is being addressed.
He said the public should particularly disregard suspicious, unauthorised or misleading messages until the DHQ confirms that the account has been fully secured.
The military spokesman assured Nigerians that the Defence Headquarters was taking steps to restore complete control of the account and strengthen its security.
The latest incident comes amid growing concern over the use of social media and digital technology to impersonate military institutions and senior officers.
In June, the DHQ also warned Nigerians about a manipulated video falsely portraying the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede.
The military said the video showed signs of artificial-intelligence manipulation and was designed to mislead the public and create confusion about the leadership and activities of the Armed Forces.
The Nigerian military has faced similar digital threats in the past. In 2015, suspected hackers defaced the Defence Headquarters website, although the military said the attackers did not penetrate the website’s database and that normal operations were subsequently restored.
The DHQ’s latest warning therefore comes against the backdrop of a wider battle against cybercrime, impersonation, disinformation and digitally manipulated content involving Nigeria’s security agencies.
For now, the Defence Headquarters has advised the public to rely on its verified communication channels on other platforms, including its Facebook page, Defence Headquarters Nigeria, its Instagram account @defenceheadquarters, and its official WhatsApp Channel.
The military said further updates would be issued as efforts to secure the X account continue.
The public is expected to exercise particular caution because any false statement posted from a compromised military account could potentially trigger confusion, panic or misinformation about security operations.
The DHQ appealed to Nigerians, journalists and social media users to verify any sensitive military-related information through its recognised platforms before sharing or acting on it.
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