AI-Driven Cyber Threats Demand Global Action, Experts Warn at ICSC 2026
By Matthew Eloyi
Cybersecurity experts, lawmakers and international partners have called for stronger global cooperation to combat emerging cyber threats driven by artificial intelligence (AI), warning that the rapidly changing digital landscape requires countries to rethink how they protect citizens, institutions and economies.
The call was made on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of the International Cybersecurity Conference in Abuja, where stakeholders highlighted the growing sophistication of cyberattacks and the need to strengthen human awareness, institutional resilience and international collaboration.
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi CCIE, said the increasing use of AI by cybercriminals had created a new dimension to cybersecurity, requiring organisations to deploy advanced technologies to anticipate, detect and counter attacks.
He explained that cybersecurity and cyber resilience were complementary but distinct, noting that while cybersecurity focused on preventing attacks, resilience involved the capacity to recover after an attack had occurred.
Abdullahi said the growing sophistication of AI had made it necessary to expand cybersecurity strategies beyond the protection of computer systems and digital infrastructure to include the human mind.
According to him, cybercriminals increasingly exploit human weaknesses because manipulating people can be easier than breaching sophisticated technological systems.
He said the conference would therefore examine how individuals and institutions could strengthen their defences against both technological attacks and attempts to manipulate human behaviour.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu described the conference as an opportunity to advance technology diplomacy and strengthen Nigeria’s international partnerships in the digital sector.
He said the participation of legislators from other countries demonstrated growing international interest in Nigeria’s technology initiatives and reinforced the country’s potential as a destination for business and collaboration.
The Director-General’s position was reinforced by the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Hon. Adedeji Stanley Olajide who described cybersecurity as a moving target that demanded continuous learning and adaptation.
He warned that strategies effective today might no longer be sufficient tomorrow, given the speed at which artificial intelligence was changing the methods and capabilities available to cybercriminals.
He called for stronger collaboration among cybersecurity practitioners, policymakers, diplomats, judges and heads of government agencies, stressing that cyber threats transcended national and continental boundaries.
The lawmaker said countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America needed to recognise cybersecurity as a common challenge requiring coordinated international action.
Similarly, the Chair of the Council of Europe’s Cybercrime Convention Committee, Pedro Verdelho stressed the need to bridge the gap between the rapid adoption of digital technologies and public understanding of their associated risks.
He observed that artificial intelligence and other digital tools had become integral to everyday activities, including travel planning, online searches and commercial transactions, but awareness of the dangers accompanying their use remained inadequate.
He called for greater cybersecurity awareness among government institutions, private-sector organisations and ordinary citizens.
The European official also highlighted the importance of the Budapest Convention, an international treaty designed to facilitate cooperation against cybercrime and improve access to electronic evidence, welcoming the participation of countries in the region in the framework.
Meanwhile, the Swedish Ambassador to Nigeria, Anna Westerholm said cybersecurity was essential to building public confidence in digital transformation, warning that increased connectivity also created greater exposure to cyber risks.
The ambassador said Nigeria’s digital transformation offered significant opportunities for innovation, economic growth and inclusion, with Sweden and Swedish companies supporting the country’s journey.
