Born and raised in Nigeria, Bobola Ayo-Fanibe discovered an early passion for cybersecurity at just 16. Motivated by curiosity and determination, he immersed himself in self-study, developing skills that became second nature and set the foundation for the technical mastery he demonstrates today.
During his undergraduate studies in Computer Science, Bobola interned at New Horizons, specialising in offensive and network security. His practical understanding quickly stood out, and he soon began mentoring fellow students—an early sign of the leadership potential that would later define his career.
After graduating with a Second Class Upper at 20, Bobola pursued a Master’s in Cybersecurity in the United Kingdom, earning a distinction for his dissertation on threat modelling for small-scale e-commerce businesses.
At 21, he was awarded a full EC-Council scholarship to undertake the globally recognised Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification, which he passed with an outstanding score—missing only six questions out of 125—demonstrating both talent and dedication.
Throughout his academic and professional journey, Bobola has shown a consistent drive to uplift others. At university he guided peers through cybersecurity labs and projects, and later returned to New Horizons as a mentor, training new entrants in ethical hacking, threat detection, and incident response. His passion for knowledge-sharing continues at work, where he coaches colleagues in malware analysis and incident triage.
Professional Impact — Leading at 22
In April 2024, at just 22, Bobola joined FNZ Group, a leading global financial-technology company, as Lead Security Operations Centre (SOC) Analyst. With no SOC Manager in place, he independently led operations for five months, overseeing major incidents, client engagements, and acquisition-related reviews.
His achievements included: Rewriting and creating SOC playbooks from scratch. Introducing automation into FNZ’s security operations for the first time, developing Python-based tools to streamline analysis and reporting. Designing JIRA workflows to track incident triage metrics and improve accountability. Leading ransomware-response simulations involving the CISO and senior leadership. His leadership helped transform FNZ’s SOC into a more automated, resilient, and knowledge-driven function—earning internal recognition for innovation and initiative.
Building the Future — TalithaCumi Security
Now 23, Bobola is building TalithaCumi Security (TCS), the cybersecurity division of Dreamz Technologies Limited, a Nigerian technology company he co-founded with his brother (a Lead DevSecOps Engineer) and father (an insurance executive). Dreamz Technologies aims to integrate secure, autonomous technology into the financial and insurance sectors.
Under his leadership, TalithaCumi — meaning “Arise” — will provide Managed Security Services (MSSP), vulnerability management, and threat-intelligence solutions, while developing a phishing-resistant email client designed to dramatically reduce executive-targeted attacks. His vision is to build a cybersecurity ecosystem that bridges Africa and the UK, advancing automation-driven defences and mentorship
opportunities for the next generation of security professionals.