Nigerian military X account hacked, security alert issued

Nigeria's Defence Headquarters has confirmed that its official account on the social media platform X was compromised, warning the public to disregard any content posted on it. The military announced the breach in a statement on Saturday evening, August 15, 2026, noting the account had been flooded with cryptocurrency-related posts unrelated to the armed forces.

Major General Samaila Uba, the Director of Defence Information, stated the incident was being treated as a cybersecurity matter. Technical measures have been activated to secure the account and prevent further unauthorized access, he said, with ongoing efforts to fully restore control. The compromised account, which has more than 980,000 followers, remains active under its original name and verification badge but is currently considered unreliable.

The Defence Headquarters urged the public, media, and all stakeholders to treat any information from the account with caution during the recovery period. "Consequently, members of the public are advised to disregard any suspicious, unauthorized or misleading content that may be posted from the account during this period," the official statement read. Officials did not disclose...