The Nigerian Army has confirmed that its official X account, @HQNigerianArmy, has been fully restored and is once again under its exclusive official management. The announcement, made in a brief post on the platform on Sunday, brings to a close a recovery process that followed an attempted cyber breach in late August.
Army Confirms Full Restoration of Official Handle
In the post announcing the development, the Army stated that the account was back under its official control and expressed appreciation to the public for its patience and understanding during the period of restricted access. The message signalled the end of a prolonged effort to reclaim one of the military’s primary channels for direct communication with Nigerians.
Timeline of the Attempted Breach
The incident first came to light on 29 August 2026, when the Army detected unauthorised access attempts on the account at about 5 pm. The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, confirmed at the time that the matter was being treated as a cybersecurity breach. Immediate technical and protective measures were activated to secure the platform, prevent further unauthorised access, and safeguard the integrity of official communications issued through the handle.
Advisory to the Public During Recovery
While control of the account remained restricted, the Army urged the public and the media to disregard any suspicious, misleading, or unverified content appearing on the platform. Nigerians were instead directed to rely on the Army’s other verified platforms for authentic information. These included its Facebook and Instagram accounts under @hqnigerianarmy and @nigerianarmyinfo, the X handle @nigerianarmyinfo, and its official YouTube channels.
Context of the August Incident
The breach attempt on the Army’s X account followed a similar cyberattack on the Defence Headquarters’ X account, @DHQNigeria, earlier that month. The DHQ account was recovered within days, with its return announced through a short “WE’RE BACK” message.
Significance of the Restored Account
With the restoration of @HQNigerianArmy now confirmed, the Army has reclaimed a key platform for direct public communication on security operations and defence matters. The handle remains the official verified account of the Nigerian Army.
