The Corporate Affairs Commission (Corporate Affairs Commission) has temporarily shut down its online company registration portal following a confirmed cyberattack that affected parts of its digital infrastructure and raised concerns over the safety of millions of corporate records in Nigeria.
In an official notice, the Commission announced that its portal will be unavailable from 12:00 midnight on Friday, April 17, 2026, to 6:00 a.m. on Monday, April 20, 2026. While the downtime has been described as scheduled maintenance and system upgrades, officials confirmed it was triggered by a cybersecurity incident involving unauthorised access to sections of its database.
The Commission acknowledged the “unfortunate incident,” noting that sensitive systems were exposed to intrusion attempts affecting a large volume of data. Immediate containment measures were activated, and a full-scale system audit is now underway in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency and other security agencies. The Nigeria Data Protection Commission has also been notified.
The disruption has sparked concern among business owners, lawyers, and entrepreneurs who rely heavily on the portal for services such as company registration, name reservations, annual filings, and changes in corporate structure.
Registrar-General of the Commission, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, advised users to take precautionary steps once services resume, including reviewing their company records, updating passwords, and remaining vigilant against phishing attempts or fraudulent messages exploiting the situation.
Business operators planning urgent filings have been urged to delay transactions until the system is fully restored on Monday morning.
The incident adds to growing concerns over cyberattacks targeting government digital systems in Nigeria, highlighting ongoing vulnerabilities in national cybersecurity infrastructure.
The Corporate Affairs Commission has apologised for the disruption, assuring stakeholders that additional security layers are being deployed to prevent future breaches and strengthen system integrity.
Normal operations are expected to resume by 6:00 a.m. on Monday, April 20, 2026, with further updates promised as investigations continue.
For now, businesses are advised to rely only on official CAC communication channels and avoid unverified sources during the downtime.
