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B2B E-commerce Technology Strategic to Nigeria’s Economy Diversification – Alerzo CEO

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Adewale Opaleye, the group chief executive officer of Nigeria’s leading business-to-business e-commerce platform, Alerzo, has stated that tech-enabled B2B e-commerce startups will contribute significantly to the diversification of the Nigerian economy, if well-harnessed.

He said e-commerce platforms in the B2B segments are playing critical roles by supporting the manufacturing sector to thrive through the provision of logistic systems and infrastructure such as warehouses and last-mile facilities to enhance inventory movement and make distribution of consumer goods faster.

“With the help of technology, online marketplaces as well as digital payment platforms built in support of the Federal Government’s financial inclusion and promotion of cashless economy,” Opaleye added.

Opaleye’s statement corroborated the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, that technology has significantly impacted Federal Government’s economy diversification policy.

Danbatta had said at an event in Abuja recently that e-commerce was an important stream of technology revenue that has improved the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). He stated that an estimated 76.7 million Nigerians shop online with expected rise to 122.5 million by 2025.

While welcoming the impressive performance of the technology sector as encouraging, Opaleye said B2B platforms would continue to be pivotal to the growth of the manufacturing and informal retail value chain as a major driver of the e-commerce system.

He said as the technology frontiers expand, many more Nigerians would migrate online for shopping and adopt digital payment platforms because of convenience while the national economy would grow stronger.

Speaking on his firm’s strategic roadmap for the growth of B2B e-commerce in Nigeria, Opaleye stated that among the numerous solutions put in place by Alerzo is ownership of more than 400 vehicles and 40 warehouses across Nigeria to ensure goods get to the consumers in all the cities, towns and villages across the country faster by delivering to the retailers at no extra cost.

‘‘Alerzo is Nigeria’s an indigenous tech startup focused on bolstering the growth of the informal sector in Nigeria. We are a strategic company, so we have created an end-to-end cocoon in the B2B ecosystem by serving the critical need of the niche Factory-to-Retail distribution segment to deliver fast moving consumer goods to retailers in different cities across Nigeria.

‘‘Our over 40 warehouse facilities and 400 vehicles ensure goods are delivered to the retailers even in hard-to-reach locations, free of charge. The creation of proprietary infrastructure and provision of bespoke digital products such as Alerzoshop, Alerzopay, Veedez among others are ways we are promoting the growth and profitability of informal retailers and micro businesses,’’ he said.

Opaleye further stated that through Alerzopay PoS terminals, informal traders are empowered with a new stream of income, in addition to the ease and profits they get as subscribers on the e-commerce platform, while investment in owned fleet and warehouses ensure deliveries are done within four hours of order.

He also disclosed that through geo-mapping of coverage areas, the company has developed softwares to provide banking solutions to customers, one of which is Veedez app that supports micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with easy-to-use bookkeeping and inventory tracking systems.


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Toll Collection on Lagos-Calabar Highway Begins December

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Senator David Umahi, the Minister of Works, has announced that a section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be tolled starting in December.

Umahi disclosed this during an interview for a forthcoming State House documentary marking the second anniversary of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

He said: “By December, we will toll Section 1 of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway. We project a 10-year return on investment.

“The road has solar-powered lighting and CCTV infrastructure, and offers carbon credit advantages.

“It is more than a road; it is an economic corridor and a catalyst for regional growth.”

According to the minister, 30 kilometres of Section 1 have already been completed, with an additional 10 kilometres in Section 2 nearing delivery. Both segments feature six-lane concrete-paved carriageways, designed to meet modern standards for safety and durability.

Umahi further revealed that construction had commenced on Sections 3 and 3B of the highway, spanning a total of 65 kilometres, covering 38 kilometres in Cross River State and 27 kilometres in Akwa Ibom.

He described the positive response from local communities as a clear indication of the project’s wide-reaching socioeconomic benefits.

“Just days ago, we flagged off Sections 3 and 3B—65 kilometres in total, covering 38 kilometres in Cross River State and 27 kilometres in Akwa Ibom. The host communities’ excitement speaks to these projects’ transformative impact,” he said.

Umahi also highlighted the administration’s renewed focus on the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway, which he noted was part of a broader vision dating back to colonial-era trade plans.

“The Trans-Saharan trade route dates back to colonial-era planning. President Tinubu is now bringing these long-abandoned visions to life,” the minister explained.


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Kaspersky Uncovers Dero Crypto Miner Spreading via Exposed Container Environments

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Kaspersky Security Services experts have identified a sophisticated cyberattack campaign targeting containerized environments to deploy a miner for the Dero cryptocurrency.

The attackers abuse exposed Docker APIs — parts of Docker, an open-source container development platform. In 2025, there are a significant number of Docker API default ports that are insecurely published, accounting for almost 500 occurrences worldwide on average each month.

In the discovered campaign, cybercriminals inject two types of malwares into the compromised systems: one is the miner itself and the other is a propagation malware that can spread the campaign to other insecure container networks.

Kaspersky experts discovered this malicious campaign as part of a compromise assessment project. According to expert estimates, any organisation that operates containerized infrastructure — while exposing Docker APIs without robust security controls — can be a potential target. These may include technology companies, software development firms, hosting providers, cloud service providers and more enterprises.

According to Shodan, in 2025, there are 485 published Docker API default ports¹ worldwide each month on average. This figure illustrates the campaign’s potential attack surface by tallying the “entry points” — or insecurely exposed ports that attackers might target.

Once attackers identify an insecurely published Docker API, they either compromise existing containers or create new malicious ones based on a legitimate standard Ubuntu image. They then inject two malware types into the compromised containers: “nginx” and “cloud”.

The latter is a Dero cryptocurrency miner, while “nginx” is a malicious software that maintains persistence, ensures execution of the miner and scans for other exposed environments. This malware allows attackers to operate without traditional Command-and-Control (C2) servers; instead, each infected container independently scans the Internet and can spread the miner to new targets.

“The campaign has the potential for exponential growth of infections, with each compromised container acting as a new source of attack, if security measures are not immediately put in place in the potentially targeted networks,” explains Amged Wageh, an incident response and a compromise assessment expert at Kaspersky Security Services.

“Сontainers are foundational to software development, deployment, and scalability. Their widespread use across cloud-native environments, DevOps, and microservices architectures makes them an attractive target for cyber attackers. This growing reliance demands organisations adopt a 360-degree approach to security — combining robust security solutions with proactive threat hunting and regular compromise assessments”.

The attackers embedded the names “nginx” and “cloud” directly in the binary — an inflexible executable file composed of instructions and data for the processor, not for humans. This is a classic masquerading tactic that lets the payload pose as a legitimate tool, trying to deceive both analysts and automated defenses.


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Manager, Others Arraigned for Allegedly Hacking into Premium Trust Bank’s Server

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Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Tuesday, charged five defendants before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly hacking into the server of Premium Trust Bank.

Manager, Others Arraigned for Allegedly Hacking into Premium Trust Bank’s Server

The defendants are listed as the bank’s e-payment service manager, Matthew Adeniyi; Kehinde Odeyemi, a nursing mother; Samson Latshin, Bolaji Omotosho and Sunday Okunnola.

They were charged before Justice Alexander Owoeye, on a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, cybercrime and unlawful access to the bank’s database.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Mrs. Zeenat Atiku, prosecutor, alleged that they committed the offence between April and May this year, in collaboration with three others, now at large.

Those still at large are Isa Ismaila, Victor Joshua, also known as ‘Oracle’ as well as one other, simply identified as Humble.

According to the charge, the first defendant unlawfully disclosed sensitive credentials, including the bank’s server IP and domain details, to these parties.

She said this enabled an unauthorised access to the bank’s database and the consequent data breach allegedly resulted in financial gains of $10,000.

The prosecutor also alleged that the defendants attempted to intercept the bank’s network and procured a Hewlett-Packard ProBook 440 G9 laptop (serial No. SN#5CD2473N6G) configured to bypass the bank’s security systems.

The anti-graft agency said the alleged offences contravened the provisions of sections 12(1)(b), 27, 28(1)(b)(c) and 28(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition Act, 2015 (as amended in 2024).

Following their pleas, the prosecutor, requested for a trial date and sought an order to remand the defendants in custody.

Meanwhile, the court declined an oral bail by the defence counsel and directed that a formal bail application be filed.

He adjourned the case until June 30, for trial and ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Nigerian correctional centre, pending bail.

The court, however, added that the defence may apply for an earlier trial date, upon filing their bail applications.

 


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