The official Twitter account of Nigeria's Defence Headquarters, @DHQNigeria, was hacked on Saturday, August 15, and remained compromised for several hours before any intervention was reported.
Alarm Raised by Former Presidential Aide
Bashir Ahmad, OON, a former aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, drew public attention to the incident through a post on his own Twitter account. He urged the Defence Intelligence Agency to respond without delay.
"@DHQNigeria has been hacked for hours now. The Defense Intelligence Agency needs to act swiftly to secure the account and restore control," Ahmad wrote.
What Legit.ng Observed on the Hacked Account
A check carried out by Legit.ng confirmed that the account had clearly been taken over by unauthorised individuals. The profile picture of the official military account had been stripped away, and a series of irregular posts had appeared on the timeline, none of which reflected the kind of official communications expected from the Nigerian military's public-facing handle.
The account, which serves as a key channel through which the Defence Headquarters shares operational updates, press statements, and security briefings with the Nigerian public, remained visibly compromised at the time of the check.
Calls for the Defence Intelligence Agency to Act
Ahmad's post singled out the Defence Intelligence Agency as the body best placed to step in and recover the account. The Defence Intelligence Agency, a military body responsible for gathering and managing intelligence within Nigeria's armed forces, has not publicly commented on the breach.
The incident raises fresh concerns about the cybersecurity posture of Nigeria's official government and military social media accounts, which carry sensitive institutional communications and are followed by large numbers of Nigerians.
EFCC Official X Page Disappears
Meanwhile, in a previous report, Legit.ng reported that the X (formerly Twitter) account of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disappeared from the popular social media platform. On Wednesday, August 14, the agency's official handle, which had 2.2 million followers, was no longer accessible.
The Defence Headquarters incident underscores the vulnerability of official accounts, with the EFCC's disappearance occurring just a day earlier, highlighting a potential pattern of security lapses across government social media profiles.
