THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2013
INSIGHT
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A KING'S RANSOM FOR ARMOURED VEHICLES It will cost you an arm and a leg to acquire some of these monsters-onwheels. As the figures below show, some of the price tags can make the eyes of even the well-heeled swim. 1. Mercedes Benz S-Guard 600: $1.4 million 2. Audi A8 Security: $685,000 to $1,000,000 3. Bentley Mulliner Division with Armor from Mulsanne: $400,000 4. Maybach 62S with Armor from Rijck: $352,000 5. BMW 7 Series High Security: $350,000 6. Popemobile: $311,000 7. Conquest Knight XV: $310,000 8. Cadillac One: $300,000 9. The Dartz Kombat T98 SUV: $200,000
Bullet-proof vehicles
•Inside the Sprinter Luxury van newly-acquired by the Akwa Ibom State government
purchased by banks and security operatives, while the passenger vehicles are for passenger use." Vice-President of Inkas Armored Vehicle Manufacturing, which is the parent company of Inkastrans, Mr. Dmitri Khazanski, also confirmed Nigeria as a choice destination for sellers of armoured cars. Khazanski says that the first time his company received a request for an armoured car by a Nigerian was in 2005 and since then, the number has increased. 2015 ELECTIONS WILL SPUR MORE PURCHASES According to Dipo Okeyomi, a security expert and Executive Director of Marial Security, Texas, United States, the leastexpensive bullet-proof car costs about $485, 000. He agrees that most of the buyers of bullet-proof cars are politicians, government officials and stupendously wealthy Nigerians. He said: "Armoured vehicles are not what just anybody can acquire. The cheapest armoured car sells for about $485, 000. If you want them to customise it for you, the price will be higher. It is mostly acquired by politicians, and some very wealthy people in the country to protect themselves. Apart from this set of people, some rogues who dupe institutions of huge money also acquire it to protect themselves because they are always living in fear of being attacked." One of the allegations against the
embattled Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force, Abdulrasheed Maina, was that he owns two bullet-proof cars for personal security. Maina is not alone. Okeyomi, however, argues it was not out of place for people to acquire bullet proof cars citing the level of insecurity in the country. He added that fears the 2015 elections could aggravate the security situation in the country has sustained the rush for bullet proof cars among politicians. "Nigeria is in disarray when you talk about security so it would not be out of place for anybody who can afford an armoured vehicle to have it. There is unprecedented crime wave all over the country. When kidnappers, armed robbers and terrorists are striking on a daily basis, why would it be wrong for anybody to acquire an armoured car if it will enhance his security? Look at the how the late Kwara State Commissioner of Police was killed like a fly. If he had the resources to buy an armoured car, he probably would have not been so easily murdered. "The whole problem is because of insecurity in the land. If there is no problem of insecurity in the country, there wouldn't be any reason for anybody to waste his hard-earned money on bullet-proof cars since the security components do not add any aesthetic value to the car." A QUESTION OF COSTS Which one is cheaper in the long run: solving the country's security challenges
or spending billions of naira importing and maintaining bullet proof vehicles? According to findings, Nigerian politicians and business moguls have in the past six months spent about N3 billion on bullet-proof cars. The most popular vehicles for the buyers are Mercedes Benz G-500, E320, 500, and S-class in the B4, B6, and B7 categories, which cost between N50 million and N70 million each. Daimler Chrysler, Mercedes Benz S600/S550 as well as the Cadillac Escalade and Toyota Land Cruiser costs in the region of $195,000.00, while the Lexus LX570, ($215,000.00), and Land Rover Range Rover HSE will set potential owners back a tidy $232,500.00. Though the vehicles are very expensive, the cost of maintenance is just slightly higher than those of conventional vehicles. But one critical difference are the electrical parts of the vehicles. They are radically different from the conventional vehicle, so it is only those who are highly knowledgeable about electronics who can fix the vehicles. Secondly, because the windows cannot be wound down, the air conditioning must be on all the time; so the vehicle needs a very powerful battery. Some of the spare parts, especially the electrical parts could be very expensive, but other maintenance parts are similar to what you have with conventional vehicles. CONVERSION OF ORDINARY CARS TO BULLET-PROOF
With owning a bullet-proof car being the in-thing, many Nigerians who cannot afford what it costs to buy a new one have resorted to converting their conventional vehicles to bullet-proof ones. One company that prides itself as the master in the art and science of converting conventional cars to bullet-proof cars is Leks Nigeria Limited. Apart from selling bullet proof vehicles, Leks also convert vehicles that are not manufactured as one to the bullet-proof variant. Leks claim they can make doors and windows resistant to gun fire, as well as tires that are super steel reinforced so that one could continue driving after being shot. Okeyomi confirms that there are no armoured car manufacturing companies in Nigeria - only those that assemble. He, however, urges caution and scrutiny for those desirous of using firms that assemble bullet-proof cars locally. BULLET PROOF WALLS AND HOUSES Sociologist, Adegboye Oyekunle, in his intervention states that the bullet-proof car craze has assumed a new dimension, "Just like craze for education abroad which started with parents sending their kids to universities abroad, these days they even send children abroad for nursery, primary and secondary school education. "Now it's not just bullet-proof vehicles; we now have bullet-proof doors and windows in houses and offices. Very soon we will start having bullet-proof restaurants and hotels. Once a craze starts here, there is no end. Instead of fixing education, healthcare, water, power, security and others, we resort to quick fix which at the end of the day compounds the problems. We have a long way to go'' Oyekunle believes the craze for bulletproof vehicles is a sign of a failed state. "In Iraq and other parts of the world where these vehicles are a necessity, they are so because those societies have failed. So if bullet-proof vehicles are the in-thing in Nigeria now, then we have also failed like the Iraqis." LATIN AMERICA, ARAB COUNTRIES ARE SELLERS FIRST CHOICE While the market in Nigeria is growing, it is still second to Latin America and the Arab world. In the aftermath of the Arab Spring revolts and with the wealth gap and social unrest rising in many parts of the world, there is no shortage of rich individuals and government workers who suddenly feel Continued on page 65