NIGERIA IS HIGHEST IMPORTER OF BULLET PROOF VEHICLES

Nigeria has overtaken Iraq, Afghanistan and Latin American countries as the world’s biggest importer of bullet proof (armoured) vehicles.

It is estimated that about 30 percent of customers for armoured vehicles worldwide come from Nigeria.

In the last few years, manufacturers of armoured vehicles have exported an estimated 800 to 900 units to Nigeria at the cost of more than N60 billion.

This was made known to journalists during the launch of the Land Rover Defender (AVM) recently in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

The British car maker said it will provide maintenance training for the Nigerian Defence forces or any institution that imports more than 200 units of Land Rover Defender Armoured Vehicle Modifier (AVM) vehicles.

In 2011 alone, Nigeria imported 600 and 1,000 armoured vehicles, coming behind Iraq, Afghanistan and Latin America.

But recent figures, however, indicate that Nigeria has overtaken these countries on account of growing insecurity, as well as a seemingly love by the elite for armoured vans.

While the position of Iraq and Afghanistan as major importers of armoured vehicles is understandable because of the war situation in those regions, not a few have wondered why Nigeria should be number one in the world.

It costs between N60million and N80million to armour an imported Sport Utility Vehicle, depending on the different levels of fortification, while the starting price to armour a saloon cars is put at N45million and above, according to manufacturers sources.

Describing the position of Nigeria on armoured vehicle importation rating as no exaggeration, Huan Ka Kyui, a high ranking official of an armoured vehicle manufacturing company in Thailand, said that the first time his company received a request for an armoured car from a Nigerian was as far back as in 2003.

Since then, he said the number has increased steadily.

John Graham, Brand Manager Armoured, Military and AVM (Armoured Vehicle Modifier) Programme for the Jaguar Land Rover group, said Nigeria is the emerging market for anti-ballistic vehicles.

He added that armoured vehicles are classified into Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) which can be used for military operations, Cash-In-Transit (C-I-T), ambulances, mobile clinics and passenger vehicles.

Special Purpose Vehicles are mostly purchased by banks and security operatives, while the passenger vehicles are used by individuals and government at various levels.

Source: The Nation