We Can Assist Military Track Bandits’ Hideouts – Surveyors

The chairman of the Association of Private Practising Surveyors of Nigeria (APPSN), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Branch, Emmanuel Omuya, has asserted that resident surveyors can support the military with technological devices to track the hideouts of criminals and bandits.

Omuya, who addressed the press at the 4th Quarter 2025 APPSN General Assembly held in Abuja, asked the federal government to deepen its collaboration with surveyors in tackling the surging security challenges Nigeria faces.

According to him, advanced societies use certain mapping technologies to analyse locations. He explained that the United States’ military relies mainly on its surveyors and surveying instruments to track locations and give security direction through the use of drones and maps.

He said, “We know there are security challenges all over the place now. By doing our mapping, we can determine the location of all the forests. Everybody says the bandits are in the forest. If we know where the forests are, we can channel our strength to those areas to scout for them. There are various technologies used to detect criminals. Surveyors can be useful to the government in solving these security problems. We have drones that we fly; those are used in enemy locations.

“Americans use them, and so do all the advanced countries. What we do with those drones is that we install specific sensors in them. When you map, it will show you where there is a high concentration of carbon dioxide. You know human beings breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide.

“So, if you analyse those images, for instance, in a forest where the carbon dioxide is so thick and high, it now tells us there are plenty of human beings there. And normally in a forest, you don’t expect human beings. What do you expect? Animals. Therefore, if we identify these areas, we concentrate our efforts on them. And if these bandits are there, it will be easy to track them,” Omuye explained.

The Out-going National Chairman of APPSN, Suv. Simepiriye Kalio, urged the federal government to deepen its collaboration with the association. He said many public projects were poorly executed due to the exclusion of professional surveyors.