E-Business
Cyber Security: Aligning Nigeria With Rest Of The World
Top cyber threats listed by the United State’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are hacktivism, crime, insider, espionage, terrorism and warfare. The world is no longer witnessing an era of changes; it is actually the change of an era, as security becomes cyber security.
Internet of things has become the Internet of bad things, the Internet of threat, and the Internet of everything.
What was seen as emerging threats on Windows are now targeting Android devices, turning mobile security into a high priority.
All infrastructures that are widely used are inherently vulnerable.
Cyberspace has been declared as the fifth territory of war, as the next 9/11 will most likely not happen physically but it will only involve a keyboard on the other side of the world.
There is a lot of work to do but not enough people: there are 1 million unfilled jobs worldwide in the cyber security industry.
What is the state of Nigeria’s preparedness for cyber threats? Is the country putting in place right policies and required infrastructure to align itself with the rest of the world?
These and other questions were analyzed at the ISACA 7th Annual International Conference hosted by its Abuja chapter recently.
While welcoming the attendees to the event, Chimenka Ezeribe, chairman of the conference announced that the theme of the conference, “Cyber security: Aligning Nigeria with the rest of the world”, was adopted with a view to considering the pros and cons of cyber security situation in Nigeria, and other parts of the world, and to provide a way for compliance to international standards and best practices.
Opeyemi Onifade, president and board chairman, ISACA Abuja, explained that Nigeria as a member of the global society is insulated from the opportunities and threats of globalization.
“As the use of IT becomes pervasive and more and more organizations in Nigeria leverage on the Internet to transact and interact with citizens, residents, customers, employees, suppliers and partners, it has become imperative to address our collective capacity to respond to the inevitability of cyber threats, especially Advanced Persistent Threats, APT,” he said.
He admonished the country, saying, “We need to understand that we cannot succeed by accident. The cyberspace is now recognized as the fifth domain of warfare in addition to land, air, sea and space. Unfortunately in Nigeria, our cyberspace domain is still a neglected and unprotected territory whereas we have come to depend so much on mobile telecommunications, electronic banking and e-commerce for our socio-economic for survival.”
Basil Udotai, managing partner, Technology Advisors and a foremost ICT lawyer, spoke on the duties of financial institutions in combating cybercrime.
According to him, Section 19 of the new cyber law prohibits financial institutions to give posting and authorizing access to any single employee while section 20 punishes fraudulent issuance of e-instructions.
He said Section 30 says that any person who manipulates an ATM machine or POS with the intention of defrauding commits an offence.
Also, section 35 deals with sales and purchase of another person’s card; under section 36 any person who with intent to defraud uses any device or attachment email or obtain information of a cardholder commits an offence.
Udotai also revealed that the new law frowns at not disclosure of cyber threat.
According to him, reporting cases of cyber threat is mandatory.
Section 21 of the new law says any person or institution, which operates a computer system or a network, whether public or private, must immediately inform the National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Coordination Center of any attacks, intrusions and other disruptions liable to hinder the functioning of another computer system or network, so that the National CERT can take the necessary measures to tackle the issues.
“Any person or institution, who fails to report any such incident to the National CERT within 7 days of its occurrence, commits an offence and shall be liable to denial of internet services. Such persons or institution shall in addition, pay a mandatory fine of N2,000,000.00 into the National Cyber Security Fund”.
He said that the Cybercrime Act, though long in coming and beset with certain challenging components, may be applied to effective tackle Nigeria’s cybercrime and cyber security challenges.
However, the key players; ONSA and the OAGF, working with stakeholders, should make deliberate effort to make this a reality
Taiye Lambo, chief information security officer, Office of Information Security City of Atlanta, United State of America, spoke about the critical success factors in aligning Nigeria with global best practices. He argued that there must be visible support and commitment from top management; which he termed a top down approach.
He said institution’s information security policies, objectives and activities must reflect business objectives and there is an approach to implementing information security that is consistent with organizational culture must be put in place.
He said a good understanding of the security requirements, risk assessment and risk management and distribution of guidance on information security policy and standards to all employees and contractors are very critical.
Besides, he recommended a comprehensive and balanced system of measurement, which is used to evaluate performance in information security management and feedback suggestions for improvement.
In his contribution, Iyke Ezeugo, a business intelligence expert revealed that businesses in the country are under pressure to cope with new business trends, challenges and opportunities.
According to him, they need to deal effectively with the emerging big data – transforming the raw data into meaningful and useful information.
They require capacity for interpreting large amounts of unstructured data to help identify, develop and otherwise create new strategic business opportunities.
Osioke Ojior, NIBSS’s chief risk officer, said risk management is a comprehensive process that requires NIBSS to frame risk (that is establish the context for risk-based decisions), assess risk, respond to risk once determined, and monitor risk on an ongoing basis using effective organizational communications and a feedback loop for continuous improvement in the risk-related activities of organizations.
He explained that risk framing produces a risk management strategy that addresses how NIBSS intends to assess, respond and monitor risk – making explicit and transparent the risk perceptions that organizations routinely use to make investment and operational decisions.
According to him, risk assessment identifies threats to operations, assets, individuals or threats directed through the organization or industry against other organizations or the nation.
He averred that risk could also be internal and external vulnerabilities to the payment system, the harm (i.e., consequences and impact) to the payment system that may occur given the potential for threats exploiting vulnerabilities; and the likelihood that harm will occur.
The result is a determination of risk (i.e., the degree of harm and likelihood of harm occurring).
He explained that risk response provides a consistent, organization-wide, response to risk in accordance with the organizational risk frame by developing alternative courses of action for responding to risk; evaluating the alternative courses of action; determining appropriate courses of action consistent with organizational risk tolerance and implementing risk responses based on selected courses of action.
Professor Daniel Okunbor, University of Abuja, in his paper disclosed that the rising usage of social media in Africa has serious security implications.
He argued thatthat Africa caught on social media much quickly than she has been with so many other modem technologies is clearly not a surprise.
Social media penetration in Africa could attributed be largely to the relative cost of the technologies, easy of operations and availability of relevant applications.
He explained that social media platforms are increasingly being used by enterprises to engage with customers, build their brands and communicate information to the rest of the world.
However, social media for enterprises is not all about \’liking,\’ \’friending,\’ \’up-voting\’ or \’digging.\’ For organizations, there are real risks to using social media, ranging from damaging the brand to exposing proprietary information to inviting lawsuits.
Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.
This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.
The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.
He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.
This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.
GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.
The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”
As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.
With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.
Okitipi Samuel, a Nigerian man, has been taken into custody by the Nigeria Police Force for his alleged role in a global cyberattack on Microsoft 365 users.
Benjamin Hundeyin, Force public relations officer, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the outcome of investigations carried out by the National Cybercrime Centre of the Nigeria Police Force.
Hundeyin said the centre, under the leadership of Ifeanyi Uche, its director and Commissioner of Police, commenced investigations in collaboration with Microsoft, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency.
According to him, investigations revealed that a phishing toolkit known as “Raccoon 0365” was used to create fake Microsoft login portals to harvest user credentials and unlawfully access email accounts belonging to corporate organisations, financial institutions, and educational institutions in several countries.
“This investigation commenced following credible intelligence received from Microsoft USA through the FBI, indicating that a malicious phishing toolkit known as Raccoon0365 was being used to create fake Microsoft login portals, harvest user credentials, and unlawfully access the email accounts of corporate organisations, financial institutions, and educational establishments,” Hundeyin said.
He added that between January and September 2025, several reports of unauthorised access to Microsoft 365 accounts were traced to phishing emails designed to mimic legitimate Microsoft login pages, enabling business email compromise, internal phishing, data breaches, and other cyber-enabled fraud.
Hundeyin said digital forensic analysis and cryptocurrency tracing identified wallets connected to the illegal operation.
He noted that operatives were deployed to Lagos and Edo states, leading to the arrest of three suspects identified as Joshua, James, and Okitipi Samuel between September 20 and October 4, 2025.
“Following extensive digital forensic and technical intelligence analysis, the centre conducted cryptocurrency tracing that identified suspicious wallets connected to cash-out schemes.
“Acting on actionable intelligence, operational teams were deployed to Lagos and Edo states, resulting in the arrest of Joshua, James, and Okitipi Samuel. Searches at their residences led to the recovery of mobile devices, laptops, and other digital exhibits linked to the fraudulent scheme,” he said.
Hundeyin identified Okitipi Samuel, also known as “0365” and Moses Felix as the principal suspect and developer of the phishing infrastructure.
He added that investigations confirmed Samuel unlawfully used the email details of one of the arrested individuals without consent to register some of the accounts used in the operation.
The police spokesperson said further investigations revealed that the identities of Joshua and James were used without their consent.
“There was no evidence linking them to the creation or operation of the phishing scheme. They were victims of identity theft,” Hundeyin said.
He said a prima facie case had been established against Samuel for identity theft, unlawful access to computer systems, creation and distribution of malicious software, unauthorised interference with network data, and aiding and abetting fraud.
Hundeyin added that the suspect would be charged under relevant provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2024.
He said the suspect would be prosecuted in Nigeria, noting that the country has the capacity to enforce its cybercrime laws, although extradition could be considered if formally requested through due process.
Hundeyin assured Nigerians that the police, under the leadership of Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of Police, would continue to protect the country’s digital ecosystem and urged citizens to practise good cyber hygiene by being cautious when clicking links and sharing personal information online.
Speaking separately, Ifeanyi Uche, director of the National Cybercrime Centre, urged Nigerians to exercise caution online.
Uche advised members of the public to avoid clicking on links from unknown or unexpected sources, noting that such links often contain malware or phishing tools designed to compromise devices and personal data.
He warned that indiscriminate clicking of links or responding to unsolicited emails could lead to unauthorised access to personal and corporate accounts, urging citizens to “wash their cyber hands” by verifying sources before taking action online.
Nigeria has unveiled a comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy designed to localise WSIS+20 commitments. This roadmap accelerates national transformation by prioritising robust infrastructure, transparent internet governance, and advanced cybersecurity through deep stakeholder collaboration.
Unveiled in New York at the Nigerian high-level side event titled “Re-Imagining Digital Cooperation for Sustainable Development: From WSIS+20 Vision to Local Action,” the strategy cements Nigeria’s position as a primary architect of the world’s digital future.
Speaking at the event, the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE represented by Director, Corporate Planning and Strategy, Dr. Dimie Shively Wariowei said Nigeria’s approach is deliberately aligned with the four core activity areas identified under the ongoing WSIS+20 review process.
According to him, the focus areas provide a practical framework for translating global digital commitments into measurable national outcomes, ensuring that international resolutions drive inclusive growth and sustainable digital development at the country level.
Inuwa identified digital infrastructure as the foundation of effective localisation, noting persistent challenges in extending connectivity to underserved and remote communities. Beyond infrastructure gaps, he highlighted affordability constraints and digital literacy deficits, stressing that addressing these issues remains central to Nigeria’s digital inclusion drive.
He explained that government alone cannot shoulder the burden of nationwide digital infrastructure deployment, given Nigeria’s vast geographical spread, hence the adoption of collaborative Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models. He disclosed that Nigeria, in collaboration with the World Bank, is implementing a major fibre-optic project spanning about 90,000 kilometres nationwide to boost connectivity.
The NITDA DG also revealed that the current National Broadband Plan, which has guided broadband expansion in recent years, is nearing completion, with plans underway to renew and reposition it for the next five years. The renewed plan, he said, will strategically target increased broadband penetration as a catalyst for digital access and economic growth.
On internet governance, Inuwa referenced Nigeria’s active participation in the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), noting that the country successfully hosted its annual national IGF. He said the forum operates on a multi-stakeholder model that brings together government, the private sector, civil society and the technical community to foster cooperation and informed policy dialogue.
Cybersecurity, he added, remains a critical pillar of Nigeria’s localisation efforts. He cited the existing Cybersecurity Act and ongoing efforts to strengthen the legal framework through a reviewed version currently awaiting parliamentary approval. These measures, he said, are designed to mitigate risks associated with increased internet use and to protect users and critical digital infrastructure.
Inuwa further stressed Nigeria’s ambition to play a leadership role in advancing digital cooperation across Africa through inclusive, multi-stakeholder engagement. He underscored the importance of coordinated national data collection, noting that reliable, country-specific data is essential for tracking progress and presenting Africa’s digital development story on the global stage.
He concluded that sustained engagement and follow-up actions arising from the WSIS+20 review would strengthen digital cooperation among African countries and ensure that global digital commitments translate into tangible national and regional impact.
Stakeholders commended Nigeria’s efforts in the digital space, acknowledging the country’s growing role in shaping Africa’s digital future.
Earlier, Ms. Jennifer Chung, Co-Convener of the Informal Multi-Stakeholder Sounding Board (IMSB), praised Nigeria for convening a broad-based, multi-stakeholder delegation and for its commitment to the meaningful implementation of WSIS+20 outcomes.
Chung stressed the growing demand for localised WSIS follow-up mechanisms, noting that platforms such as the annual IGF, National and Regional IGF Initiatives (NRIs), and youth-led forums are vital for tracking progress towards the 2030 Agenda and Africa’s Agenda 2063.
She described the WSIS+20 review as a critical step toward effective monitoring, reliable data collection and evidence-based evaluation, particularly for developing countries in the Global South. According to her, these measures are essential to achieving WSIS targets and ensuring that no region is left behind.
Drawing parallels with the Asia-Pacific region, Chung noted that challenges around affordable and meaningful connectivity remain widespread across developing economies. She emphasised that expanding broadband penetration and reducing the cost of access are crucial to closing digital divides in Africa, Asia-Pacific and other parts of the Global South.
She also highlighted the need to enable active citizen participation in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and future innovations such as quantum technologies, stressing that inclusive digital access is key to maximising the benefits of digital transformation.
Reflecting on the WSIS+20 review process, Chung praised the innovative and inclusive approach adopted through the informal multi-stakeholder sounding board, describing it as one of the first of its kind in global digital governance. She called for sustained collaboration among governments, the private sector, civil society and the technical community to carry the WSIS vision from global commitments to local action.
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