Exclusive: Adamawa Govt Takes Action as Hackers Hijacked Governor's Twitter Account

Exclusive: Adamawa Govt Takes Action as Hackers Hijacked Governor's Twitter Account

  • The Twitter handle of the Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, was hacked by yet-to-be-identified cybercriminals
  • The Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, highlights steps taken by the state government's ICT team to track the culprits
  • Wonosikou assured the public of effective maintenance of the Governor's social media handles

Yola, Adamawa state - The Adamawa state governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri's official X.com page was hacked into by yet-to-be-identified cybercriminals who used the page for malicious activities purportedly aimed at discrediting the office of the governor.

Adamawa State, Governor Umaru Fintiri, X.com, Cybercriminals, Adamawa State Government, Crypto Currency
The Adamawa State Governor official X.com page was hacked by cybercriminals for malicious activities purportedly aimed at discrediting the office of the governor. Photo credit - @GovernorAUF
Source: Twitter

Legit.ng gathered that after the hijacking of the profile, several cryptocurrency posts were made on the profile to project the involvement of the Adamawa State Governor in crypto-related activities.

Adamawa govt speaks with Legit.ng

In an interview with Legit.ng, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Humwashi Wonosikou, recounted the distressing experience during the incident.

"We just woke up one day and discovered that the governor's X account has been hacked, and there was no any warning sign before the hacking, so it took us as a surprise.

"I believe the hacker is just looking for popularity because he knows that the governor is a public figure, therefore he resulted to bringing down all post that has been made about the governor on the handle and brought up his own crypto currency post to tarnish the governor's personality," he explained.

Investigation to unravel criminals

Wonosikou revealed the steps taken by the intelligence department in the state to nail the culprit behind the hack.

"Our special adviser on ICT is worked tireless to recover the account and to track the hacker, it is unfortunate and surprising to discover that an account that has a two step verification and a high cyber security maintenance was hacked." Wonosikou stated.
"The incident didn't affect any parastatals, agencies and the remaining social media handles of the governor, however," he added.

Advanced security steps on social handles

Wonosikou further disclosed that advanced security authentications are being put in place on all official social handles to prevent future occurrences of hijacking by cybercriminals and maintain public trust.

"We assure the public that, there's a high level of cyber security on all the handles to avoid further occurrences of such act and we indulge the public to maintain the trust they have for the governor because, I believe the hacker is just being funny and he is after popularity and nothing more.
"We will notify the public when we recover the account just as we notify them about the hacking, this is to maintain the good relationship between the public and the government
"Cyber crime should be discouraged looking at how young people are very much into technology these days. It is important we stand against such bad social habits that destroys good moral behavior of the public" he concluded
Adamawa State, Governor Umaru Fintiri, X.com, Cybercriminals, Adamawa State Government, Crypto Currency
The Adamawa State Governor official X.com page was hacked by cybercriminals for malicious activities purportedly aimed at discrediting the office of the governor. Photo credit - Obidah Fwa
Source: UGC

Governor Fintiri speaks as he regains access

Meanwhile, the latest checks on Tuesday, July 15, by Legit.ng show that the Adamawa state government has regained access to the Twitter account.

Governor Fintiri posted on the account to confirm that he has regained access.

"My account was briefly hijacked by some ambitious fellow! Well, I’m back. And this time, it’s the real Governor tweeting — not a keyboard bandit with delusions of grandeur.
"To my good people of Adamawa: thank you for your patience. Let’s get back to work," he said.

Nigeria leads Africa in Cybercrime arrests

Legit.ng previously reported that Nigeria has emerged as the country with the highest number of arrests in Interpol’s latest cybercrime crackdown, which dismantled criminal networks across seven African nations.

The international operation, known as Operation Red Card, led to the arrest of 306 suspects and the seizure of 1,842 devices between November 2024 and February 2025.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Obidah Fwa avatar

Obidah Fwa (Adamawa State Correspondent) Adamawa's regional correspondent, Obidah Acheli Fwa, is a trained journalist with over five years of experience in the industry. She graduated from the University of Maiduguri (2022) and has earned numerous international certifications, including leadership training from Harvard Business School. Contact her at obidahfwa@gmail.com or 09033673803.

Abdul-Hafeez Fadehan avatar

Abdul-Hafeez Fadehan (Editorial Assistant) Abdul-Hafeez Fadehan is a Legit.ng journalist with over a year of experience writing for Punch Newspaper. He received his BSc in Criminology and Security Studies from FUOYE. His background in media communications and criminology, with practical experience in research, interviewing, and digital media, allows him to craft compelling narratives that drive positive change. Fadehan is an Editorial Assistant on Politics/CA Desk at Legit.ng. He is committed to ethical journalism, leveraging his skills to create a meaningful impact. Reach him at abdul-hafeez.fadehan@corp.legit.ng or 070622666732.