NITDA Warns Fragmented Cyber Defences Risk Attacks

In Short

Nigeria’s tech regulator NITDA says government cybersecurity is too fragmented. It warned that weak links across ministries and agencies can open doors to wider attacks.

What Happened: NITDA Warning On Nigeria Government Cybersecurity

NITDA warned that fragmented cyber defences across Nigeria’s ministries, departments and agencies are creating risks for government digital infrastructure. The agency cited the Deloitte Nigeria Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, which estimates cybercrime cost Nigeria more than $3 billion between 2019 and 2025.

The warning was delivered by Dr. Ayodele Bakare, an Assistant Director in NITDA’s Cybersecurity Department, at a two-day workshop focused on securing government systems through capacity building. He spoke on behalf of NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi.

Bakare said attacks against government platforms are rising. He listed website defacements (when hackers alter a site’s pages), account hijacks (when attackers take over logins), ransomware (malware that locks systems for payment), and data exfiltration (silent data theft). He also said stolen information often ends up on the dark web, meaning private online forums where illicit data is traded.

He added that because many government systems are connected, a security gap in one agency can become a pathway into others. He argued that a coordinated defence approach should be treated as a national security requirement.

Why It Matters: Unified Cyber Defence For Nigerian MDAs

For startups and service providers that integrate with government platforms, inconsistent security controls can increase operational risk. It can also raise compliance costs as teams adapt to different standards across MDAs.

NITDA said its Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team is the key incident contact point. The workshop also includes a review of NITDA’s draft regulatory framework for government information security management, plus case studies aimed at improving incident response.

The warning follows a separate alert from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which said AI is making cyberattacks more sophisticated and harder to defend against. That raises the stakes for Nigeria to reduce silos and improve shared cyber resilience.