Nigeria students develop wearable technology to address abductions of school children

Two female students in Nigeria have developed the idea of products that use wearable technology to help abate abductions in the country. Located in West Africa, Nigeria witnesses hundreds of kidnapping of girls every year by the hands of Boko Haram, an Islamist fundamentalist terror outfit. To tackle the same, the duo- Chinoma Abone and Emmanuela Ilok-at Greenspring School in the state of Lagos have developed the idea of a wearable device that alerts their families and friends whenever the concerned person is under threat.

Abone and Ilok presented the idea at this year’s Young Tycoon Business Conference, which saw roughly 7,000 participants from 80 countries. The duo emerged winners amongst the shortlisted 28 candidates and won prize money of $960,000. 

They said that the inspiration behind their idea stemmed from the insecurity in the country. “As students, we are not happy with the news of the constant abduction of fellow students in some parts of Nigeria,’ they told reporters. 

“So, we decided to work on an idea about a company called Paramount Guard, which seeks to offer security services to school students, not only in Nigeria but all over the world. The company plans to introduce AirGuard Wearable, which pairs with the AirGuard App to help students quickly alert family members and friends when in critical situation or a state of emergency,” the duo added. 

Speaking to reporters, the innovators reckoned that they want to use the winning amount to invest in their security company and further develop both apps. 

Recent kidnappings

Boko Haram made headlines in December 2020 after gunmen stormed the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina state, and kidnapped over 400 students, which is half the number of children who attended the school on the day of the incident. As per reports, students escaped kidnapping by hiding in bushes and other areas. In 2014, about 276 girls, mostly Christian female students, were abducted by the Islamic terrorist group triggering international outrage. Three years later, around 82 out of the abducted girls were released following rigorous mediations. Later, 24 others were released or found, but the remaining are still missing. 

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