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However, he hid those talents from family and friends, due to the negative connotation that surrounded hacking in Nigeria, even though he was being ethical and not using it for criminal purposes. When he was 19, he founded the Cyber Cadet Academy – a training and research center for university students and professionals interested in pursuing cybersecurity careers. Raising cybersecurity awareness and education has been on his radar since he was young, and now, at 23, it's coming true. Not only with the academy – where he is the only teacher among 20 students – but he also founded and organized this month's inaugural BSides cybersecurity conference in Kano, Nigeria. "There are so many people who don't have basic cybersecurity knowledge and how it can impact their lives," Usman tells Dark Reading. "We need awareness and training in that regard, and how to build a career in cybersecurity." Who Will Participate in BSides? Usman had one goal in mind while organizing the BSides conference: to bring stakeholders together. To that end, university and secondary school students will hear from the Nigeria Police Force, The National Information Technology Development Agency, and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission that works to fight fraud. Related:Capture-the-Flag Competition Leads to Cybersecurity CareerUsman is highly concerned about online child safety, so it was particularly important to raise awareness for that audience."I've seen a lot of kids fallen into so many crazy activities online because they don't know what's best for them, and older people take advantage of children," he warns. "I want them to hear what can be done, and how they can be safe."All Roads Lead to Security Originally, Usman wanted to grow up to become a medical doctor. At that time, he didn't know what cybersecurity was, or that it even constituted a career. However, like many in the cybersecurity industry, his career decision change at the young age of 14, was propelled by curiosity. He learned about Wordpress and saw it had a log in form, and always thought, 'what if someone had the password?' If someone was scammed, he'd investigate the crime for free and forward the information to the authorities. These types of questions eventually led him into security. "People need basic knowledge, even if it's not a career," he urges. "I investigated cases where someone will just call and ask for their OTP [one-time password] and that's basic. People need to know what that means."He also recognized that cybersecurity has grown into a global problem because everything is interconnected. Additionally, learning and developing new ways to secure critical infrastructure is a focal point for both him, and his students. Usman officially registered the Cyber Cadet Academy last year as a legitimate company, but it operated for three years prior. And it's a solo operation where he teaches and oversees a maximum of up to 20 students.Related:ISC2 Aims to Bridge DFIR Skills Gap With New Certificate "We need to create a new strategy to protect ourselves, so that's why I came up with the cyber academy," he explains. "The vision is to become the leading institute when it comes to training and research in Africa."    The Student Becomes the Teacher The first question Usman asks newly enrolled academy students is: 'What do you want to achieve at the end of this program?' Students' mastering that skill is his end goal. But oftentimes, expectations are exceeded. "The happiest moment is when I ask at the end, and they said they got to learn more than what they expected," he says. "And more than what they were taught at university." Those responses instill confidence in Usman as well, who founded the academy all alone. Now, he looks to expand the center, bring in more people, and maybe train the students to become the staff. Related:ISC2 Launches New Security Certificate for AI ExpertiseRead more about:DR Global Middle East & AfricaAbout the AuthorArielle WaldmanFeatures Writer , Dark Reading Arielle Waldman is a Boston-based features writer for Dark Reading covering all things cybersecurity.See more from Arielle WaldmanMore InsightsIndustry ReportsHow Enterprises Are Harnessing Emerging Technologies in CybersecurityWorldwide Security Information and Event Management Forecast, 2025--2029: Continued Payment for One's SIEMsQualys Named a Market & Product Leader in CNAPPDimensional Research Report: AI agents: The new attack surfaceESG Research: Organizations seek modern, continuous and integrated pentestingAccess More ResearchWebinarsSecuring the Hybrid Workforce: Challenges and SolutionsCybersecurity Outlook 2026Threat Hunting Tools & Techniques for Staying Ahead of Cyber AdversariesMeasuring Ransomware Resilience: What Hundreds of Security Leaders RevealedManaging Identities Across the Enterprise CloudMore WebinarsYou May Also LikeFEATUREDCheck out the Black Hat USA Conference Guide for more coverage and intel from — and about — the show.Edge PicksApplication SecurityAI Agents in Browsers Light on Cybersecurity, Bypass ControlsAI Agents in Browsers Light on Cybersecurity, Bypass ControlsLatest Articles in The EdgeThe Fight Against Ransomware Heats Up on the Factory FloorOct 10, 2025|5 Min ReadFastly CISO: Using Major Incidents as Career CatalystsOct 9, 2025Despite More CVEs, Cyber Insurers Aren't Altering PoliciesOct 2, 2025|4 Min ReadUndead Operating Systems Haunt Enterprise Security NetworksOct 1, 2025|3 Min ReadRead More The EdgeDiscover MoreBlack HatOmdiaWorking With UsAbout UsAdvertiseReprintsJoin UsNewsletter Sign-UpFollow UsCopyright © 2025 TechTarget, Inc. d/b/a Informa TechTarget. 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The piece, written by Arielle Waldman, follows Aliyu Ibrahim Usman, the 23‑year‑old founder of Nigeria’s Cyber Cadet Academy, as he explains how his early intrigue with hacking—initially a curiosity sparked by encountering WordPress login forms—evolved into a mission to raise cybersecurity literacy in a country where the discipline is still poorly understood. Usman, who began honing his hacking skills at fourteen, chose not to pursue a conventional career in medicine, the field he originally dreamed of, but instead pursued hacking for curiosity and ethical investigation, even helping authorities with fraud cases. This background laid the foundation for his founding of the Cyber Cadet Academy in 2019, a training and research center targeting university students and professionals keen on cybersecurity careers. The academy, originally operating as an informal initiative for three years before formal registration, remains a solo operation led by Usman as the sole teacher for a small cohort of up to twenty students. His educational philosophy centers on setting clear post‑program goals for each student, and he emphasizes that the most satisfying results come when learners report acquiring far more than the curriculum promised, often surpassing what university coursework offered.

Usman’s commitment extends beyond individual instruction to community engagement. He organized the inaugural BSides cybersecurity conference in Kano, specifically to raise awareness among secondary school and university students about basic cyber hygiene and its life‑long implications. The event convened stakeholders such as representatives from the Nigeria Police Force, the National Information Technology Development Agency, and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, whose discussions ranged from combating fraud to protecting children from online predation. Usman highlights that many youths are vulnerable because they lack basic cybersecurity knowledge; he argues that safety awareness is a prerequisite for a secure digital future.

The article frames Usman’s work within the broader context of Nigeria’s growing cyber threat landscape, stressing that everything’s interconnected and that cybersecurity has become a global problem that demands proactive strategies. He calls for a new approach to protect the nation, noting that his vision is for the Cyber Cadet Academy to become Africa’s leading institute for training and research in cybersecurity. He envisions expanding the institution, recruiting more staff, and eventually training students to become teachers, thereby creating a sustainable pipeline of knowledgeable professionals.

Waldman's narrative captures Usman’s dual role as educator and advocate. By focusing on both technical skills and awareness, he seeks to instill not only job‑ready talent but also a sense of responsibility among his students. The article concludes with a note that his early curiosity about password security and online fraud investigations have guided a lifelong commitment to defending citizens against malicious actors. Thus, the Cyber Cadet Academy represents a practical, community‑driven response to the increasing demand for cybersecurity competence in Nigeria and beyond.