from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – NIGERIA’S security apparatus is under increasing attack from cybercriminals, a trend emerging as a massive threat to stability in Africa’s largest nation.
The Nigerian Army is the latest victim, reporting this past weekend that it had detected an attempted breach of its official X account.
It alerted the public to suspicious or unauthorised content posted through the platform, formerly Twitter.
The army informed that the incident occurred at about 17h00 on Saturday, prompting immediate technical and protective measures to secure the account, prevent further unauthorised access and safeguard the integrity of information disseminated through the platform.
Col. Appolonia Anele, Acting Director of Army Public Relations, assured members of the public, media and other stakeholders that appropriate measures were underway to fully secure the affected account and restore exclusive administrative control.
“In the interim, the public is advised to exercise caution and disregard any suspicious, unauthorised, misleading or unverified content emanating from the affected account, as such content does not represent the official position of the Nigerian Army.”
She said the army remained committed to information integrity, operational security and responsible strategic communication.
This is the second such incident to affect the security apparatus this month, and the third this year.
A fortnight ago, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) reported that its X account had been hacked, with culprits publishing cryptocurrency scam posts.
Earlier in 2026, the Armed Forces, comprising the army, navy and air force, launched internal investigations regarding leaked confidential intelligence reports that had bypassed security protocols and made their way into the public sphere.
In 2025, threat intelligence assessments revealed that sensitive internal data from the Navy had been compromised and leaked by threat actors operating on the dark web.
In 2012, hackers affiliated with the Boko Haram terrorist network defaced the official websites of the DHQ and the Navy.
Africa’s largest country by population, estimated at 243 million, Nigeria has faced the biggest threat for years from Islamist sects and kidnap gangs.
– CAJ News