Abuja, Nigeria – The United Kingdom has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening cooperation with Nigeria in the fight against cybercrime and digital insecurity, pledging technical support and intelligence sharing under an existing security partnership.
Speaking at the inaugural seminar on Anticipatory, Cyber, and Digital Diplomacy for Strengthening Nigeria’s Foreign Policy in Abuja on Tuesday, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, said the UK was “very pleased” to co-sponsor the event. He noted that both countries had already recorded “shared successes” in tackling cyber fraud and online threats.
Montgomery explained that the UK–Nigeria cybersecurity partnership, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed last year, focuses on five key areas: threat hunting, cyber threat intelligence, identification of critical national infrastructure, digital forensics, and national incident response planning.
“These are fundamental to building government cyber capabilities and effective international cyber diplomacy,” he said, warning that new technologies such as artificial intelligence risk “turbocharging” cyber threats ranging from disinformation to hate speech.
He added that while Nigeria would shape its own sovereign decisions in cyberspace, the UK was ready to share lessons from its Foreign Office, research institutions, private sector partners, and universities to help build a resilient digital ecosystem.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, welcomed the collaboration, announcing the creation of a Cyber Diplomacy Unit within the ministry to coordinate Nigeria’s international cyber engagements. He said the unit would train a new generation of African cyber negotiators and champion ethical digital governance.
“We must lead Africa’s digital future,” Tuggar declared, stressing that Nigeria must act with urgency to position itself as a “principled, capable and forward-looking actor in the evolving global digital order.”
The minister emphasised that Nigeria’s cyber diplomacy strategy will prioritise regional collaboration, women and youth inclusion, and private sector engagement. He described the global digital landscape as undergoing a “historic transformation” shaped by artificial intelligence, data geopolitics, and the militarisation of cyberspace.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), highlighted the need for robust legal frameworks to address cybersecurity and the challenges posed by emerging technologies.
“Cyber threats pose a danger to national infrastructure and the rule of law,” Fagbemi said, adding that Nigeria must adopt strong legal mechanisms to deter cybercrime, protect digital sovereignty, and ensure international cooperation.
The seminar was attended by diplomats, legal practitioners, security experts, and private sector stakeholders. It comes amid rising global focus on cyber diplomacy, as countries including the US, UK, China, and members of the EU advance strategies on cybersecurity, data privacy, and AI ethics.
Nigeria’s digital foreign policy has been under global scrutiny in recent years, particularly after the 2021 suspension of Twitter, which sparked debate around digital sovereignty and platform accountability. By 2024, the country was reportedly experiencing over 4,000 cyberattacks daily, according to cybersecurity firm Nitroswitch.
