DHQ Sounds The Alarm: Hackers Target Official X Account, Warn Public To Ignore Fake Posts

Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters is under cyber attack.

The DHQ on Saturday alerted Nigerians to an attempted unauthorised breach of its official X account, formerly Twitter, and warned the public to disregard any suspicious posts that may appear during the recovery process.

—WHAT HAPPENED—

In a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, the military said the incident was being treated as an active cybersecurity matter.

“Appropriate technical measures have been activated to secure the account and prevent further unauthorised access,” Uba stated.

Efforts are ongoing to fully restore DHQ’s control of the handle.

—DHQ TO NIGERIANS: DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING POSTED NOW—

The Defence Headquarters urged citizens to be vigilant and ignore any misleading, unauthorised, or suspicious content that may be posted from the compromised account.

“The Defence Headquarters remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of information security and ensuring that the public continues to receive accurate, timely and credible information on the activities and operations of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” the statement read.

The DHQ also thanked Nigerians for their understanding and vigilance, promising further updates as the situation develops.

—WHERE TO GET VERIFIED MILITARY UPDATES—

To ensure communication is not disrupted, the military directed the public to rely on its other verified channels:

– Facebook: Defence Headquarters Nigeria
– Instagram: @defenceheadquarters
– WhatsApp: Defence Headquarters Nigeria Channel

—WHY IT MATTERS—

A breach of the DHQ’s X account is not just a social media issue. It’s a national security risk.

Hackers who gain access could spread fake operational updates, false casualty reports, or disinformation capable of causing panic, undermining troops’ morale, or jeopardizing ongoing operations against bandits, terrorists, and other threats.

Cybersecurity experts say government and military accounts are increasingly targeted to spread propaganda and test response protocols.

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For now, the DHQ says the attack was contained early, and no sensitive operational information was compromised.

The account remains under recovery, and Nigerians have been put on notice: if it’s on X and it looks odd, don’t believe it until DHQ confirms it elsewhere.