On a trip to Transcorp Hilton Abuja recently , I noticed the frustrating long queues of vehicls being searched at the gate had dissappeared. There was now a dedicated entry lane demacated with those concrete blocks, there was still the prescence of heavily armed soldiers but the cars were moving in and out freely and the traffic flowed. I thought this is great, these people must be doing something right, and then it happened...
I spotted the miraculous bomb detecting device with an aerial, the magic wand, the solution to the torture we had endured in the past, all in the name of security.
In many establishments these days there is an increase in the use of these devices but the question you should ask yourself is this ... what exactly does this device detect?
Popularly known as the ADE 651 or you can find various other models out there e.g GT200 or Alpha 6 all these devices have one thing in common, absolute rubbish.
They dont work , and this has been one of the greatest scam devices on the market since the begining of the war on terror.
Used in places like Iraq, Afganistan and Pakistan some years ago, there was an investigation by BBC news night into the use of these so called bomb detectors.
In the end , the UK government banned the export of these gadgets and the company was charged with fraud.
No western country uses these device because quite simply they do not work.
So in 2012 these things are begining to appear in Abuja.
As long as no one has a multi billion naira contract to supply these gadgets in Nigeria, I believe we can put up with seeing these things in some places, the word deterant comes to mind.
And for those people who feel safer seeing these devises around please accept my apology, for bursting your bubble.
The best bomb detecting system in the world still remains mans best friend and if you doubt me , ask the US military
For our security tips , email info @Abujacity.org.
