Nigerian Army Confirms X Account Breach, Urges Public to Disregard Suspicious Posts

ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigerian Army has confirmed an attempted cyber breach of its official X (formerly Twitter) account, urging the public to disregard any suspicious or misleading posts that may appear from the compromised platform. The [Nigerian Army's official statement](https://nigerianarmy.gov.ng), signed by Colonel Appolonia Anele, Acting Director of Army Public Relations, said the incident occurred at approximately 5pm on Saturday, August 29, 2026.

"The Nigerian Army has detected and is actively responding to an attempted unauthorised access to its official X (formerly Twitter) account," the statement read. "We have activated immediate technical and protective measures to secure the account and prevent further unauthorised access, aimed at safeguarding the integrity of information disseminated through the platform."

The Army assured Nigerians, members of the media and other stakeholders that efforts were ongoing to fully secure the account and restore exclusive administrative control. The government's [National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)](https://nitda.gov.ng) has been notified and is coordinating with military cybersecurity officials to investigate the breach vector, according to a statement from NITDA's Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.

"The military, however, warned that any suspicious, unauthorised, misleading or unverified content published from the affected account should be disregarded. Such content does not represent the official position of the Nigerian Army," the statement added. The Army emphasised that operational announcements would henceforth be issued exclusively through verified channels listing @hqnigerianarmy and @nigerianarmyinfo on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

This is not the first time a Nigerian military account has been targeted in recent weeks. [TheCable](https://www.thecable.ng) reported on August 27 that hackers had previously breached the Nigerian Air Force's X account, attempting to spread disinformation about troop movements in the North-East. That earlier incident revealed systemic vulnerabilities across armed forces social media accounts, according to cybersecurity analysts cited by the outlet.

In response to the latest incident, the Army has implemented emergency multi-factor authentication protocols across all official social media accounts and temporarily suspended posting capabilities while security teams conduct a thorough forensic examination. Military cybersecurity units are working with NITDA's Computer Emergency Response Team to trace the origin of the attack and identify any compromised credentials.

"We are seeing a pattern of coordinated attacks against government digital infrastructure," Abdullahi said, confirming that the agency has launched a forensic audit of all military social media assets following the second breach in fourteen days. "The frequency suggests this is not opportunistic but targeted."

The incident underscores growing cybersecurity risks facing official government social media platforms across Africa. Similar breaches have affected the Kenya Defence Forces and South African National Defence Force in the past year, highlighting the need for robust authentication protocols and continuous monitoring of government digital assets. A 2025 report by the African Union's Cyber Security Expert Group found that 68 per cent of government agencies across the continent lack multi-factor authentication on official social media accounts.

The Army said it remained committed to information integrity, operational security and responsible strategic communication. It appreciated the vigilance, understanding and cooperation of members of the public, adding that further updates would be provided as necessary through its established communication channels.

See also: [Tinubu expands Nigerian Army to 12 divisions, approves 28,000 new troops](/politics/tinubu-expands-nigerian-army-to-12-divisions-approves-28000-new-troops)