When terrorists strike and are successful in their sudden assault, a combination of vulnerabilities in the vicinity’s security makeup of a particular area would have ensured it. Proving this theory was essentially Senator Jimoh Ibrahim’s main contribution when he had the floor at an upper chamber, Wednesday 3 July plenary.

By this stage of the 21^st Century, it is expected that the military ought to have morphed into mostly a tech-based offensive unit whose threat detection prowess is highly rated, but that isn’t the impression the defence structures in Nigeria have been giving based on a recent suicide bombing that occurred in Gwoza, Bornu State last weekend.

All sides of the northern region face the distastefulness of banditry and Boko Haram, which are happening on a rolling basis, taking lives and ruining farmers’ success at planting.

Senator Jimoh Ibrahim who represents the Ondo South Federal Constituency of the Nigerian Senate, while presenting on Wednesday tried to enlighten fellow senators about what computerised, AI-enabled mobile-based surveillance can achieve by stating that he has an app on his phone that can identify the quantity of firearms present in an environment.

At the Senate House two days ago, the All Progressives Congress (APC) representative confirmed that his phone figured the presence of 277 guns within the National Assembly building where the members meet and that is specifically the sort of capability the military ought to be aiming for if they are to disable enemy targets before they can make a move.

Wouldn’t it be splendid if security agencies, religious circles, learning institutions and parties could keep their eyes peeled for these four apps to rely on their free or demo versions?

1. Noema

When it comes to shooting incidents, every second matters. Even where cameras and operators are present, it often takes too long to dispatch law enforcement and first responders to scenes of violence. This reference on a website was the problem that 1536 Cole Blvd Suite 325 Golden, Colorado State, USA-based security solutions provider Noema has been trying to solve for like six years now. One selling point that the developers of Noema had to embolden is their software’s ability to even track intentions and concealed acts such as when a person is brandishing whatever firearm.

2. Athena Gun Detection Alerts

To see every lurking threat demands an eye in the sky and that is what this Athena Security Incorporated surveillance app-based Gun Detection Alerts innovation says it can provide since its launch in 2018. Here is a tool that instantly tracks all events and then lets the customer replay footage when investigating a scene.  When an alarm has been triggered, from a phone, the administrator can monitor the scene and be advised on what action to take. This app works with the Athena Security camera system ID.

3. Omnilert

Omnilert thinks the perfect pitch to support the deployment of its active shooter detection tech is to first review how a novel secondary school gun attack by an ex-student could have been avoided had such software been deployed to secure the institution. This year, Omnilert bagged the Best AI-based Solution for Healthcare award organised in the United States. Organisers have grown to recognise the app’s help in keeping hundreds of schools, healthcare facilities, universities, retail stores, commercial buildings and other facilities safe from active shooters.

4. ZeroEyes

The need for insightful firearms detection systems is brewing in schooling environments, highly commercial establishments, worship centres as well as at mission houses be it the locals or multinationals. ZeroEyes’ computer vision and image classification technology seems to have them covered. If sceptics were ever in doubt or wary, they shouldn’t according to Maryland, USA police officer Jay Prettyman telling the local press ABC News. I don’t think anybody should question or be fearful of an artificial intelligence program that’s going to identify an immediate imminent threat of someone being shot or killed. You can’t put a price tag on saving a life.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.