ONSA, NCC, NITDA, others Push Collaboration, Cyber Resilience against AI-Driven Attacks

Key players in Nigeria’s cybersecurity architecture have called for stronger collaboration, resilience and information sharing to avert AI-generated cyberattacks and neutralise emerging threats in the nation’s cyberspace.

The call was made at the 2nd Edition of the International Cybersecurity Conference, ICSC 2026, held October 27-28, 2026, in Abuja, with the theme: “Cyber Resilience in the Age of AI: Defending Minds, Networks and Nations.”

The conference was anchored by the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA, and had in attendance the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Nigeria Data Protection Commission, NDPC, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, among others.

…Cybersecurity beyond infrastructure..

Speaking at the conference, Director-General of NITDA, Malam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said while cybersecurity focuses on preventing attacks, cyber resilience is about ability to recover after an attack.

“In the age of AI today, it is very difficult to defend or attack without AI itself because AI has many sophisticated tools for attackers as well as defenders. Organisations need to defend themselves as well, and it all depends on how we use it,” he said.

He noted that this year’s edition looked beyond defending infrastructure, adding that hackers now target people more than systems.

“Hackers focus more on hacking people than systems, and it is easier to hack people to get what you want than hacking the system itself,” Inuwa said.

He disclosed that NITDA has been working with ONSA and the National Assembly to review the Cybercrimes Act and strengthen the policy framework.

—NCC: AI making attacks more sophisticated–

NCC said AI is making cyberattacks more sophisticated, with criminals now targeting humans and manipulating what they see, hear and believe.

Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO of NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, who was represented by Executive Commissioner Technical Services, Engr. Abraham Oshadami, said telecoms infrastructure has become central to Nigeria’s economy and warned that AI has changed the speed and scale of threats.

He listed threats to include AI-driven phishing tailored to individuals, automated credential theft, deepfakes to bypass multi-factor authentication, and evasive malware.

Maida said NCC has established a Computer Security Incident Response Team to monitor threats, coordinate threat intelligence sharing and enforce incident reporting among operators, and called for adoption of zero-trust security model.

“Technology alone cannot solve human exploits,” he said.

—Legislative backing, data protection—

Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Sen. Shuaibu Salisu, called for improved collaboration and proposed a retreat of relevant MDAs to identify shared priorities, as well as a national cyber resilience index to assess organisations’ preparedness.

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, represented by Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, said the ministry is working on a draft executive bill to strengthen legal framework for emerging cyberthreats, facilitate electronic evidence preservation and exchange, and support investigation and prosecution while upholding human rights.

On his part, National Commissioner of NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, in a paper titled “Trust by Design: Data Protection and Privacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” said AI-enabled data breaches cost an average of $6 million, with one in four malicious breaches AI-enabled, representing 56% year-on-year increase.

He said building trust requires clear rules from regulators, privacy and security by design from developers, risk assessment from organisations, and rights awareness from citizens.

[Rejigged story culled from consumerconnectng.com]