Department of Cyber Security

CAPT (NN)/ASSOC PROF ISAH RAMBO SAIDU

Head of Department of Cyber Security

Nigerian Defence Academy

At inception, the Department of Intelligence and Cyber Security was established in 2016. This Department was later splited into two namely; the departments of Cyber Security and that of Intelligence and Security Studies. The Department of Cyber Security awards a degree of BSc Cyber Security for the undergraduate. Furthermore, the Department runs postgraduate programmes such as PGD and Masters in Cyber Security. Cyber Security is one of the Departments in the Faculty of Military Science and Inter Disciplinary Studies. The Department encourages research activities and staff development as well as adequate practical/industrial exposure for her students. However, appropriate specialize laboratories are yet to be installed.

The Department of Cyber Security is designed to equip cadets and postgraduate students of the Academy with vital knowledge of network security, ethical hacking, forensic, surveillance, security, cloud challenges and security solutions, knowledge of computer crime and prevention amongst others for the effective performance of the cadets and postgraduate students respective careers especially in the area of cyber threat, threat intelligence, information management, retrieval and access control protocols. Additionally, the Department has introduce new programmes such as PGD and MSc in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics. It is interestingly to state that the Department in collaboration with the Directorate of Linkages and Collaboration will soon commence the MPhil Programme in Intelligence and Cyber Security.

The Department of Intelligence and Cyber Security is structured to become a centre of academic excellence in cyber space technology.  Its mission is to build capacity and develop human capital to high level through pragmatic and dynamic training, research and developmental services of high standards in the field of intelligence and cyber technology related fields that meet the demands of the society and will stand the test of time and space.

The philosophy of the programme is to produce military officers and postgraduate students with high academic standards and adequate background and knowledge of the needs of the military in particular, industry and the nation in general.

The aim of the programme is to build and develop knowledgeable and skilful officer cadets in the field of cyberspace security to safeguard military activities.

The objectives of the programme are to produce Officer Cadets:

1. with analytical information security skills and cyber security strategies that would curb cyber security frauds, threats and risks for the military;
2. who can develop detective codes and supportive software agents that would reduce critical security threats, and effectively enhance Malware and Digital Forensic Science for the detection of cybercrimes;
3. with adequate knowledge of steganography techniques, cryptology and web security for military information science in cloud computing to ensure that national and international secrecy and security are achieved;
4. that would defend the AFN cyber platform and Cyberspace at the national and international scenes through collaborations and utilization of latest gadgets;
5. who can conduct basic research and compose professional military and academic analyses on issues critical to military information science, cyber security, counter terrorism, policing, criminology, international security, mapping terrorist networks and addressing cybercrimes; and
6. who can think critically about cybernetics and security issues, develop and implement tactics related to strategic military policing, cyber security, surveillance, counter terrorism, drawing on national and international recent case studies.

The programmes run in the Department are:

1. BSc Cyber Security.
2. PGD Cyber Security.
3. PGD Digital Forensic.
4. Professional Masters in Cyber Security.
5. Professional Master in Digital Forensic.
6. Masters in Cyber Security and Digital Forensic.

The entry requirements for admission into the Department of Cyber Security will be as follows:

1. Five credit passes in English Language, Mathematics, Physics and two other relevant science courses Biology, Chemistry and Geography at the Senior Secondary School Certificate or its equivalent in not more than two sittings.
2. An acceptable pass in the University Matriculation Examination (UME) into 100 level is required.
3. Candidate must be physically fit, mentally stable and morally upright and within 16-20 years.
4. All successful candidates, after NDA Entrance Examination, must appear before Armed Forces Selection Board for medical and physical test.
5. Additionally, the degree is to develop and equipped future cyber security professionals with a broad knowledge and understanding of global interrelationships in cyber terrorism, politics, economics, social change, science and technology. Also, military development, and the implications of these for the security of nation-states and the future of Nigerian society in a globalized perspective. The programme provides the officer cadets with the interdisciplinary knowledge to analyse the interactions between all these elements and to communicate their ideas effectively in both written and oral contexts. Above all, cadets in the Department will be able to exhibit innovative problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in issues such as cyber terrorism, passive and active threats in both symmetric and asymmetric warfare, and transnational cyber security threats. The programmers core courses impart substantive knowledge and analytic skills required by all professionals in cyber security domain.
6. However, The curriculum for cyber security studies proposes three instructional elements:
7. Core courses: Dedicated interdisciplinary courses on cyber related topics that provide the intellectual foundation for advance work in this field.
8. Cognate courses: Specified courses in related academic fields that provide breadth and depth to computing.
9. General Study courses: Recommended courses by the Nigeria University Commission on all undergraduate courses and other related disciplines that deal with particular issue areas, institutions and policy matters of interest.

Registration Procedure

Students shall normally complete registration for courses for the semester not later than two weeks after the start of the semester.

A student may not withdraw from a course after five weeks of lectures in a given semester without permission from the Dean of  Postgraduate School. A student who withdraws after five weeks or who fails to seek for permission from the Dean of Postgraduate School shall be deemed to have failed the course.

A student who fails to sit for more than two (2) courses at the end of a given semester without approval should be deemed to have withdrawn voluntarily from the programme.

To be in good standing, a student must in each semester have a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of not less than 3.00.

A student whose cumulative grade point average is below 3.00 at the end of two consecutive semesters shall be withdrawn from the programme.

In order to be eligible for examination in a particular course, a student shall have attended a minimum of 75% of the total periods of formal instructions delivered for the course.

In the Post Graduate Diploma’s programme, assessment of students’ achievements should be based on:

1. Continuous assessment.
2. Course Examination.
3. Other assignments.

Continuous assessment shall be done through essays, tests, term Papers, tutorial exercises, quizzes and homework. Scores from Continuous assessment shall be 40% of the final marks for courses.

1. Prof Francisca Nonyelum Ogwueleka
2. Navy Captain/Associate Professor Isah Rambo Saidu