THE Nigerian Army has raised the alarm over an unauthorised attempt by unknown hackers to gain access to its official X account, describing the incident as a cybersecurity breach.
News Point Nigeria reports that the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Appolonia Anele, disclosed this in a statement, saying immediate technical and protective measures had been activated to secure the account and prevent further unauthorised access.
Anele said the incident occurred at about 5pm on Saturday, August 29, and is being treated as a cybersecurity breach.
She said the measures were also aimed at safeguarding the integrity of information disseminated through the platform.
The Army spokesperson urged members of the public, the media and other stakeholders to disregard any suspicious, unauthorised, misleading or unverified content that might emanate from the affected account pending the resolution of the incident.
“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,” the statement said.
Anele assured the public that appropriate measures were being taken to fully secure the account and restore exclusive administrative control.
“The Nigerian Army assures members of the public, the media and other stakeholders that appropriate measures are underway to fully secure the affected account and restore exclusive administrative control,” she said.
She also urged journalists, media organisations and other stakeholders to verify information through the Army’s alternative official communication channels while efforts to secure the X account continued.
The alternative official channels listed by the Army are Facebook: @hqnigerianarmy and @nigerianarmyinfo; Instagram: @hqnigerianarmy and @nigerianarmyinfo; X: @nigerianarmyinfo; and YouTube: @hqnigerianarmy and @nigerianarmyinfotv.
The Army said the incident had reinforced the importance of information integrity and operational security in its strategic communication.
“The Nigerian Army remains committed to information integrity, operational security and responsible strategic communication,” Anele said.
She assured the public that further updates would be provided as necessary, while appreciating Nigerians for their vigilance, understanding and cooperation.