ABEOKUTA, Nigeria — In an apparent cyber attack, the Ogun State Government’s website was hacked on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
At around 10:44 am local time, the homepage of the website, www.ogunstate.gov.ng, was displaying a defiant message: “Hacked by Aliester Crowley. Update your security. Greetings from Maldives.”
The identity of the hacker and their exact motivations remain unknown at this point, but the message suggests the attacker may be using the pseudonym “Aliester Crowley” and operating from the Maldives.
The disruption has raised serious questions about the security of the state’s digital infrastructure.
The authorities have yet to determine the extent of the breach or whether sensitive data might have been compromised.
When asked about the situation, the Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, admitted that he was not aware of the incident.
However, he affirmed that necessary steps would be taken promptly to address the issue.
“I am not aware but I will inform the ICT head,” Talabi told our correspondent. This indicates that external observers discovered the incident before the internal team was alerted.
The incident underscores cyberattacks’ increasing threat to government bodies and the importance of robust digital security systems.
It remains to be seen how quickly the Ogun State Government can restore its website and what measures will be put in place to prevent such incidents.
