Recent images have emerged of CCTV video cameras mounted to Nigerian Army tactical vehicles operating in the country. At first glance it would almost appear to be an attempt at configuring a remotely operated turret but upon closer inspection, this doesn’t appear to be the case due to the lack of relevant gearboxes and hydraulics necessary to operate the accompanying machine guns. In one example the CCTV camera is bolted to an adjustable mount that is attached to the upper portion of the armored cupula that forms the turret. There appears to be a wire running from the camera itself to the inside of the armored vehicle, either for power or to a screen so vehicle operators can observe the footage of the camera. At present it is unclear how the wire is to be protected while the turret is operated in its 360-degree arc, as spinning the turret around might tangle the wire. The person behind the 7.62x51mm NATO GPMG appears to be a law enforcement officer instead of an actual soldier that would be manning the turret. In another example the CCTV camera is mounted to the roll cage of a light all-terrain tactical vehicle, just below the armored mount behind which a gunner would stand or sit with a machine gun.
The vehicle in the first photograph might be a French Panhard VBL light armored reconnaissance vehicle, used extensively by the Nigerian Army.
Unfortunately, upon asking one of our own writers about this development, there is a possibility that the cameras could be scam contracts awarded either through purposeful corruption or lack of knowledge about the product. An example of this on a very wide scale is the recent installation of CCTV cameras in the capital city of Abuja wherein only empty camera containers were actually installed in place of working ones. At $470 Million dollars, this was a very costly error on the part of the Nigerian government.
