By Tuba Ongun
ABUJA, Nigeria (AA) — In northern Nigeria, authorities have long been trying to face down threats posed by terrorist groups, insurgents, and armed gangs known locally as bandits. Now, a Turkish company may be on the verge of a holistic remedy, with the help of a Turkish defense industry company called Asisguard.
Integrating groundbreaking Turkish defense industry products under a multimillion-dollar project, Asisguard will be providing Nigeria with a so-called "system of systems" to secure the road spanning from the capital Abuja to the city of Kaduna, roughly 160 kilometers (100 miles) north.
This project is the first of its kind in the West African nation, set to be handed over to Nigerian authorities by the end of this year, Asisguard's General Manager Baris Duzgun told Anadolu.
"We are providing this project to Nigeria with multiple defense industry companies from Türkiye under our integratorship. It is a project we provided as an integrator, some of which are our products and some are from other companies. It contains a wide range of products. We can call this the system of systems," Duzgun said.
As part of the project, Nigeria will be receiving an assortment of Turkish-made defense equipment, according to Duzgun. These include Baha drones manufactured by Ankara-based defense firm Havelsan, as well as mini-spotter unmanned aerial systems called the Togan by STM, armored Yoruk 4x4 trucks by Nurol Makine, components of Songar armed drones from Asisguard and other products from about 10 other Turkish subcontractors.
"Once we deliver these products, Turkish products will likely become widespread in this country, where opportunities are even greater," he added.
Nigeria's Defense Ministry will operate the system once the project is complete, while manufacturers will provide technical support for a certain period, he explained.
Pointing out that the sides can later decide to expand the project, Duzgun said: "We are building the infrastructure in a way that can be expanded further in the future, in case we are asked to secure other highways."
"This project is the first of its kind in Nigeria. This can be noted as a success for Türkiye and our company."
Duzgun said Asisguard had exported its Songar drones to Nigeria on an earlier occasion, adding that they expected a new order in the future.
"We continue to pursue opportunities to acquire new business in the country," he said.
- Expandable security
Speaking to Anadolu, Sulaiman Muhammed Chiroma, a local partner of the project responsible for logistics, construction and maintenance, said Asisguard wants to make Nigeria more secure by helping it fight terrorism, insurgency, and armed gangs known locally as bandits.
"We recently got the contract for the Abuja-Kaduna road, where they are deploying drones, armored vehicles, long-range cameras and also to construct a command and control center and we hope by the time we finish this project, that road will be secure," Chiroma said.
He explained that the route is currently almost unmotorable due to the threat of kidnappers and bandits.
So far, nearly 70% of the equipment promised under the project has been manufactured, and some have even been delivered, Chiroma said.
He stressed that Nigerians prefer working with Turkish companies because "they have the intention to train Nigerians and hand over the control to Nigerians without interference."
Chiroma stressed that in the long run, Asisguard is expected to set up an assembled company to manufacture the drones in Nigeria.
The project is also expected to gradually provide security to the rest of northern Nigeria in the short term, Chiroma said: "The extension in the north will be easier because if you have a command and control center already on the ground, for you to link other roads is easier because of the time and financial cost."
Ademola Adetuberu, the CEO of Barricade Executive Protection and Defense, praised Asisguard's defense industry products which he said were some "of the best ... on earth."
Adetuberu stressed that Barricade has partnered up with Asisguard for local production of drones in Nigeria as it tackles threats to its security, saying:
"These will definitely mitigate a lot of risks, a lot of security challenges that Nigeria and Africa are facing at the moment."