Security experts and Government stakeholders have warned that Nigeria’s battle has shifted from the physical battlefield to the information space, calling for inter-agency collaboration to counter disinformation, fakes news and cyber threats in the country.

They spoke at the ongoing Second National Symposium on Crisis Communication organised by the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), in Kaduna State.

Specifically, the symposium is themed “Inter-agency collaboration, public trust and cyber threat management in crisis communication”.

Delivering the welcome address, Chairman of the Centre, Major General Chris Olukolade (rtd), said effective communication is no longer peripheral but central to national security, public safety and national stability.

“I warmly welcome you to the second national crisis communication symposium, and your presence here reflects a shared understanding that effective communication is central to national security, public safety and the preservation of public trust,” Olukolade said.

He warned that delayed or contradictory official communication creates room for rumour and misinformation, citing Nigeria’s digital expansion.

“DataReportal estimated that Nigeria had approximately 109 million internet users as of end-2025. Meanwhile, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that Nigeria lost an estimated N1.1tn to cybercrime between 2017 and 2023,” he said.

Olukolade said security threats are now fought in the information space “where rumour, misinformation and manipulated narratives can deepen public anxiety, undermine confidence and complicate security operations”.

He announced the unveiling of the Nigerian Journal of Crisis Communication and said the crisis communication hub established after the inaugural symposium in November 2025 won the 2026 Golden World Award of the International Public Relations Association.

“Our idea in this centre is one crisis, one coordinated response,” he said, while listing the centre’s principles as “preparedness before crisis, inter-agency coordination without confusion, credibility through transparency and accountability, resilience against cyber threats and disinformation”.

“No institution should be so protective of its territory that it becomes an obstacle to collective progress,” Olukolade warned.

He added that ahead of the 2027 general elections, disinformation, deepfakes and impersonation could be weaponised to “erode confidence in our democratic institutions”.

Besides, the Minister of Defence, represented by Major General K. A. Ibrahim (rtd), Senior Special Adviser in the minister’s office, the symposium could not have come at a better time as Nigeria faces multifaceted threats.

“In the North-East, we have insurgency. In the North-West, we have kidnapping, and in other parts of the country, we have secessionist agitations and criminal crimes,” Ibrahim said.

“Studies and experience have shown that no single agency can tackle the security challenges that we have today. Studies have also shown that we could do better in strategic communication,” he said, calling for a “coordinated, whole-of-society approach”.

Representing the Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier General Murtala Muhammed Abu anchored his remarks on the CDS’s philosophy of jointness.

“The theme is not only timely but critical to our national security discourse. It speaks directly to the realities of our contemporary operating environment,” Abu said.

He said terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping, cybercrime, oil theft and communal conflicts transcend institutional boundaries and require a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach.

“Operational collaboration without communication collaboration is incomplete. Working together requires communicating together, through sharing of verified information, synchronising our narrative and presenting a coherent position of government to the public,” Abu said.

On public trust, he said: “In crisis communication, public trust is not logic; it is the currency. No matter how well-crafted the message is, it will fail if the public does not trust the messenger or the institution.”

“We recognise that the Nigerian people are our most important stakeholders. We will not conceal the challenges we face, but we will also not amplify fear,” he added.

On cyber threats, Abu warned of “a surge of disinformation, misinformation, deepfakes and AI-generated false content”, saying AI can now create “highly convincing fake videos, audio clips and images purporting to show military operations that never happened”.

He said cyber threat management must now include digital forensics, rapid fact-checking, AI-enabled detection tools and strategic engagement with media and technology platforms.

Declaring the symposium open on behalf of Kaduna State Governor Senator Uba Sani, Commissioner for Information and Culture, Alhaji Ahmed Maiyaki, said the battle for public trust is as important as the battle against insecurity.

“Today, the battle for public trust is as important as the battle against insecurity. A nation may defeat a security threat through decisive action, but if communication is not credible, fear can spread and confidence can collapse,” Maiyaki said.

“Misinformation, therefore, is not merely a communication challenge; it is a security threat. It is a danger to peaceful coexistence, and it can become a weapon against democracy,” he said.

He presented Kaduna’s non-kinetic approach, known as the Kaduna Peace Model, built on dialogue, community participation, intelligence sharing and early warning.

“Since assuming office in 2023, my administration has adopted an inclusive, people-centred and non-kinetic approach. Sustainable peace cannot be achieved through military or law enforcement operations alone,” he said.

“The most successful crisis communication strategy is one that prevents crisis. It means correcting errors openly when we make errors. Silence creates a vacuum. Credible information creates confidence.”