Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters X account reportedly hacked

The official X account of Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, which has nearly one million followers, has reportedly been compromised.

A screenshot circulating online on Saturday showed a notice stating that the account had been hacked, with the development attributed to an official source.

The affected account, @DHQNigeria, is the verified social media handle of the Defence Headquarters and serves as a major platform for disseminating information on the activities and operations of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. The account has about 983,000 followers.

The apparent breach could raise concerns over the authenticity of information posted from the account, particularly given its role in communicating military operations, security developments and official statements to the public.

As of the time of filing this report, it was unclear when the account was compromised or who was responsible for the alleged hacking.

There was also no immediate public statement from the Defence Headquarters detailing the nature of the breach, whether unauthorised posts had been made, or measures being taken to recover and secure the account.

The development comes amid growing concerns over the use of social media platforms to spread false or manipulated information about Nigeria’s military and security operations.

The Defence Headquarters has previously warned members of the public and media organisations to verify military-related information through its official communication channels before sharing or publishing it.

Further details on the alleged breach were awaited from the Defence Headquarters.