FG urged to ban killer robots

The International Action Network of Small Arms (IANSA) has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to ban the development, production and use of autonomous machines also known as killer robots in Nigeria.

The call was made yesterday at the opening of a one-day meeting organised by IANSA with ECOWAS member States and other relevant stakeholders in Abuja to  create awareness among and solicit support towards the operational/political commitment to the campaign to stop killer robots.

The convener of the meeting, Mimido Achakpa who expressed concern over the damage these killer robots can cause to humanity stated that such expertise can be diverted to other production areas while adding that the production of these weapons is for money making and they are not considering the negative effects on human beings. “We would rather those killer robots are not produced here.”

She described the “Killer Robots” as a lethal autonomous weapons system that would be able to select and engage targets without human intervention and can cause deaths, injuries and traumas to human victims, damage and destroy essential infrastructure and critical services, drive forced displacement, pose a threat in the long term, disrupt socio-economic activities and potentially compromise human security.

The Executive Director, Noble Delta Women for Peace and Development, Carol Usikpedo also appealed to the Nigerian government to rise to this call as other African countries are already getting involved in the campaign and ban of the killer robots.

“For Nigeria, I think we are moving and we are gradually getting into the ECOWAS member states, now that even within Africa, Namibia have signed on, I think it is a signal to other African countries to come together and sign a treaty against it”

The representatives from ECOWAS member States at the meeting, also agreed to the call to ban killer robots and also expressed the need to support other countries who have already agreed to the ban.