Cybersecurity incidents in Nigeria are no longer confined to IT departments. Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDPA), data breaches have become legal, regulatory, and board-level crises, with consequences that now include regulatory investigations, administrative sanctions, litigation exposure, and lasting reputational damage.
In response to this growing risk landscape, ESQ ESQ Trainings Limited, in collaboration with the Nigerian Bar Association Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Committee, will host an NBA-MCLE-accredited masterclass titled:
“Cybersecurity Incident Response & Breach Reporting: Legal, Regulatory & Practical Survival Guide (Nigeria Focus)”
The live virtual programme will hold on Friday, 13 February 2026, at 3:00 PM (WAT).
From IT Problem to Enforcement Event
For many organisations, the most damaging part of a cyber incident is not the breach itself, but how it is handled in the first few hours. Legal missteps during early response—poor documentation, delayed escalation, or defective breach reporting—are increasingly what trigger regulatory scrutiny and sanctions.
Industry observers note that regulators now assess decision-making, governance, and reporting quality, not just technical failure. This shift has placed lawyers, compliance officers, executives, and boards at the centre of cybersecurity response.
A Skills-First, Regulator-Aware Training Model
According to the organisers, the masterclass is designed as response training rather than awareness education. Participants will not merely listen to presentations; they will simulate real breach scenarios, make live decisions under pressure, and work through regulator-style scrutiny.
Key features of the programme include:
• Live breach discovery simulations replicating real-world incidents
• Executive and board-level decision scenarios under time and reputational pressure
• Breach notification drafting exercises aligned with NDPA requirements
• Regulator-focused analysis of investigations, enforcement, and sanctions
• Post-incident recovery and defensibility planning
The programme is structured to ensure participants leave with demonstrable competence, including the ability to advise clients, management, or boards during an actual incident.
Dedicated Regulator Session Featuring NDPC Perspective
A central feature of the masterclass is a 40-minute regulator-focused session.
The session will examine:
• When breach notification obligations arise under the NDPA
• How the 72-hour reporting window is assessed in practice
• What the NDPC expects to see in breach notifications
• Common reporting failures that escalate enforcement action
• How investigations, audits, and administrative sanctions unfold
This regulator engagement is intended to give participants insight into how compliance is evaluated in reality, not just how it is described in legislation.
Who Should Attend
The masterclass is targeted at:
• Private practice lawyers
• In-house counsel
• Compliance and risk professionals
• Business executives and founders
• Government lawyers
• Diaspora professionals with Nigerian exposure
Given Nigeria’s expanding digital economy and cross-border data flows, the programme also addresses international and diaspora-linked compliance risks, with references to global best practices such as the GDPR where relevant.
Why This Matters Now
With enforcement under the NDPA gaining momentum, organisations that treat cybersecurity incidents as purely technical problems risk compounding liability through poor legal and regulatory response.
This masterclass positions itself as professional survival training—equipping participants to respond decisively, report defensibly, and engage regulators with confidence.
Event Details
• Title: Cybersecurity Incident Response & Breach Reporting: Legal, Regulatory & Practical Survival Guide (Nigeria Focus)
• Date: Friday, 13 February 2026
• Time: 3:00 PM (WAT)
• Format: Live Virtual Masterclass
• Accreditation: NBA Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE)
Registration: https://bit.ly/esqcybersecurity
Enquiries:
08132676084
09036372609 (WhatsApp only)
