The recent reports coming out of Nigeria regarding cyber-attacks are definitely eye-opening, though not entirely surprising given the country’s massive push toward a digital-first economy.
​In April 2026, Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, confirmed that Nigeria is indeed facing an average of 4,200 weekly cyber-attacks. To put that in perspective, some industry monitors like Check Point Research have even reported peaks as high as 4,701 attacks per organization in earlier months of this year, making Nigeria the most targeted nation in Africa.
The government’s stance is interestingly pragmatic: they view this as a “side effect” of success. As Nigeria expands its digital infrastructure hitting over 160 million internet users and growing its 5G and fiber networks. The “attack surface” naturally gets larger.
​In response to this April 2026 data, the Federal Government has moved to establish the National Cybersecurity Coordination Council (NCCC) to Collaborative, Not Militarized.
Unlike traditional security measures, this council is designed as a “collective defense” model. It brings together government agencies (like NITDA and the NCC) with private sector leaders and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs).
A major driver for this task force is the rise of AI-driven threats. Officials have specifically flagged polymorphic malware and AI-automated ransomware which can “negotiate” its own ransoms as new “animals” that require advanced, automated defenses.
The goal is to move from “reacting in isolation” to a framework that mandates minimum cybersecurity spending for organizations and establishes strict timelines for reporting breaches.
It’s a “good news, bad news” situation. The attacks prove the digital economy is valuable enough to target, but the government is now in a race to ensure the defense keeps pace with the innovation.
