By Oladele Akeem

Loveth Odozor officially began career in Cybersecurity at Zenith Bank PLC, where she worked as an Information Security Officer. As she described, cybersecurity as she understood it initially was a technical fortress built with firewalls, passwords, and encryption keys. A battle between machines and malicious codes. But her experience at the bank would soon reveal a deeper, more human reality.

“Every attack I encountered wasn’t just against a system,” Loveth recalls. “It was against a person’s trust, their confidence, their emotions.”

Working in the financial sector, Loveth observed firsthand how cybercriminals manipulate people more effectively than they manipulate software. It wasn’t about hacking networks; it was about hacking minds.

Clients received fraudulent messages that looked identical to official bank communications. There were related instances where scammers would clone a bank’s email address and convince a customer to transfer funds. The money vanished within minutes.

That experience, she says, changed everything. “It made me realize that cybersecurity isn’t only about technology. It’s about protecting people, their finances, their identity, and their peace of mind.”

Motivated by that awakening, Loveth made a life-defining choice: she pursued a Master of Science in Cybersecurity at Yeshiva University in New York, with a single goal to secure people, not just systems.
Her studies have deepened her understanding of how cyber threats exploit human psychology. “Hackers today don’t just rely on technical exploits,” she explains. “They rely on people’s emotions, fear, curiosity, greed, urgency, or even kindness.”

From fake job offers to “urgent” banking alerts, social engineering has become the modern con artist’s weapon of choice. In a world where technology connects everything, Loveth believes that awareness is the first line of defense.

“The weakest link in cybersecurity isn’t the code, it’s the human being. That’s why education and awareness must come before technology,” she emphasizes.

Through her experiences and research, Loveth has greatly advocated for a people-first protection mindset. She now advocates for public education and awareness, especially in developing regions where digital literacy is still emerging.

“If people don’t understand the threats, even the strongest systems will fail them,” she says.
Loveth’s journey also carries lessons for everyday Nigerians navigating a digital world that often feels unsafe. Drawing from her experience, she shares key tips that anyone can practice to avoid becoming a victim: Always verify before you trust. Don’t act on messages, links, or calls that pressure you to “do it now.” Cybercriminals thrive on urgency. Never share sensitive details online. No bank or reputable organization will ever ask for your PIN, password, or OTP through text or email. Keep learning. Threats evolve daily. Stay updated, attend webinars, and follow credible cybersecurity sources. Think before you click. If something feels off, it probably is. Educate others. Awareness spreads protection and shares what you know with friends, family, and colleagues.

Loveth’s story is not just about career growth; it’s a call for a mindset shift. In her words, “For every system we secure, we are securing people, their identity, their trust, we cannot secure systems without securing people first.”

As the digital transformation of Nigeria accelerates from mobile banking to e-commerce her message is both timely and urgent. Cybersecurity must evolve from being a technical concern to a human responsibility.

Cybersecurity is not about computers. It’s about people, their trust, their future, and their right to safety in a digital world.