By Henry Oduah

Cyberwise Foundation has enlightened children and teens of St Michael’s Catholic Church in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State on the concept of cybersecurity and how they can protect themselves from cyber-attacks.

The cyber awareness and enlightenment workshop, held on September 6, kicked off with an opening prayer by the Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. Peter Azagba.

Defining cybersecurity, Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) team lead with proficiency in Security Operations Centre (SOC), Kolapo Famojuro, said it is the application of technologies, processes and controls to protect systems, networks, programmes, devices and data from cyber-attacks.

Mr Famojuro mentioned three things that must be in place for effective cybersecurity: people, processes/policies and technologies.

Some of the terms in cybersecurity, he said, are firewalls (which protect from unauthorised access and monitor networks), encryption (which ensures data transmitted over networks is secure), regular updates and access controls.

He identified common online threats as phishing, social engineering, identity theft, malware, cyberbullying and ransomware.

Famojuro described phishing as the practice of sending fraudulent communication that appears to come from a legitimate and reputable source, usually through email and text messaging. The goal is to steal money, gain access to sensitive data or install malware.

According to him, some types of phishing include smishing (SMS-based), vishing (video-based), spear (targeted at a specific person, not a group of people) and whaling (such as Business Email Compromise).

Famojuro advised them on certain precautions to take when dealing with phishing attacks. He urged his listeners not to share personal information online, such as NIN, BVN and bank card details and always verify before downloading items or clicking on unsolicited links especially the ones that offer free gifts like data bundles.

In dealing with smishing, the IT expert asked the audience to report the controversial message, block the sender and delete the message.

He also spoke about Artificial Intelligence (AI), urging the children not to rely solely on it but to also task their brains.

The workshop’s moderator, Olabisi Lawanson, ensured to keep the children engaged in activities to show their understanding of the subject matter.

The second facilitator, Ayomide Olasupo, mentioned the types of cyberbullying which includes exclusion, cyberstalking, harassment and trolling among others.

According to her, some of the causes of cyberbullying are insecurity, peer pressure, seeking attention and wrong sense of humour.

Ms Olasupo said about 22 per cent of internet users aged 12 to 17 have been victims, according to a 2025 report.

She urged young people not to engage with trolls, to promote kindness online, support victims and be responsible digital citizens.

Olasupo also got the children to pledge to be kind and respectful online, to be upstanders rather than bystanders and to keep the internet a happy and safe place for everyone.

The children who participated in games were presented with branded gifts from Cyberwise Foundation.

Founder of Cyberwise, Olukunmi Abbas Owoade, called on the children to keep the conversation going by educating their peers and even the elderly on protecting themselves from cyber-attacks.

Head of the church’s Child Protection Committee, Francis Pam, thanked Cyberwise Foundation for bringing cyber awareness to the church, adding that the workshop was an eye-opener even for the adults who joined in the workshop.

The church’s catechist, Michael Arogundade, closed the workshop with prayer.