Airforce Invents Bomb Detecting Robot To Fight Boko Haram

Experts in bomb detonation would
soon not need to get closer to such
dangerous objects to neutralise them
as the Nigerian Airforce has invented
a robot to undertake such task from a
far distance.
Commandant of the
Nigerian Airforce
Institute of Technology
(NAFIT), Kaduna, John Oshoniyi on
Monday said the institute had developed
a bomb detective robot capable of
detecting bombs from afar, and an
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for
surveillance and intelligence gathering in
crisis prone parts of the country.
At a news conference in preparation for
the 42nd graduation ceremony of the
institute, the commandant said the
bomb detonating robot, would assist the
security agencies to check the series of
bombings by terrorist groups.
The Boko Haram terrorists group has
been unleashing waves of violence
attacks in the northern part of Nigeria
since 2009, and bombs have become its
favourite lethal weapon.
On 14 February 2012, a policeman,
Sunday Badang, was killed while
attempting to detonate a bomb wrapped
inside a bag with bare hands along
Ungwar Seriki area of Kaduna metropolis.
As a result of that unfortunate incident,
NAFIT went into research that led to the
invention of this unmanned robot.
Displaying the robot before newsmen,
Mr Oshoniyi said the equipment would
be presented to the public as soon as it
is ready, adding that the UAV, the first in
Africa, was a product of the
transformation agenda of the Goodluck
Jonathan's administration in attaining
higher pedestal in military aviation and
defence related technology.