Nigerian firms import explosive detectors from US

By The Citizen

Nigerian firms have been buying hand held explosive detectors to protect their offices and houses from attack.

An America based company Implant Sciences Corporation yesterday said it has won a contract to sell its Quantum Sniffer QS-H150 handheld explosives trace detectors to a customer for critical infrastructure protection in Nigeria.

The high technology supplier of systems and sensors for homeland security and defence markets said the deal marks the sixth sale to Nigerian customers in seven months. The customers were not named. But many companies and churches have invested money in bomb and metal detectors because of Boko Haram attacks.

'Our systems have developed a reputation of excellence in Nigeria,' said VP of sales and marketing, Darryl Jones.

Jones noted that critical infrastructure protection is a growing market segment for the company.

'Our systems' minimal supply and maintenance requirements are especially attractive to customers in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia,' added president and CEO Glenn D. Bolduc.

The Quantum Sniffer QS-H150 uses Ion Mobility Spectrometry technology for fast, accurate detection of trace amounts of a wide variety of military, commercial, and homemade explosives.

Its retail price is $39,000.00 (N6.16 million).
Built with no radioactive materials and featuring a low-maintenance, Implant said the self-calibrating, and self-clearing design, the QS-H150 provides 'very high levels' of operational availability.

The company added that the QS-H150 has been proven to perform well in a wide variety of temperatures and challenging environments, from humid jungles to dry deserts.

Implant Sciences also makes the Quantum Sniffer QS-B220, which is a trace detector that utilises ion mobility spectrometry to find a number of military, commercial or homemade explosives and narcotics.

Terrorist attacks are on the rise in the world. In 2009 alone, there were over 11,000 attacks worldwide. A very large proportion of these attacks were committed using explosives. Defending against these attacks requires detecting the bombs, and bomb makers.

Those carrying out attacks go to great lengths to conceal their bombs. They hide them inside seemingly innocuous items. They shield them against scanning systems. And once the bomb is placed, there's no visible evidence to identify the bomber. Fortunately, there are other clues.

People who make bombs get microscopic amounts of explosives on their hands, their clothing, and anything they touch: the outside of container they put the bomb in… the handle of their luggage… the steering wheel and shifter of their vehicle. These explosive traces are invisible and difficult to remove, but they are still detectable using the right equipment. (Nation)