The Federal Government plans to introduce a new national cybersecurity framework later this year to address the growing threat of artificial intelligence–driven cyberattacks on banks, businesses, and government agencies.
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement, citing concerns that Nigeria’s rapid digital adoption has outpaced existing cyber defences.
According to Abdullahi, the proposed framework will require organisations operating in Nigeria to meet minimum cybersecurity spending thresholds, as many currently underinvest in cyber protection due to the assumption that they are unlikely targets.
The framework will also introduce mandatory timelines for reporting data breaches, establish mechanisms for sharing threat intelligence between the public and private sectors, and define coordinated response protocols for major cyber incidents.
Abdullahi said authorities are strengthening cyber defences as AI technologies increase both the scale and sophistication of attacks on banks, payment platforms and government networks globally.
Nigeria’s planned framework aligns with a global shift toward stricter cybersecurity regulation, as governments across Europe and Africa tighten breach-reporting requirements, risk controls, and information-sharing obligations in response to escalating cyber threats.
The urgency is particularly pronounced in Nigeria due to the rapid expansion of its digital economy, which hosts major fintech firms such as Flutterwave and OPay. While these platforms have widened financial inclusion, they have also increased exposure to cybercrime.
A 2025 Nigeria Cybercrime Assessment by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that Nigeria lost about N1.1 trillion to cybercrime between 2017 and 2023 across banks, telecoms companie,s and government agencies. The report noted that losses continue to rise as attacks grow more complex and cryptocurrencies are increasingly used for money laundering.
