Senate rejects private investigators bill amid fears

•NNPP faults LG election commission bill

Senate, yesterday, rejected a bill meant to establish standards and licensing requirements for private investigators in the country.

The proposed legislation, titled: “Bill for an Act to Prescribe Standards and Conditions of Licence for the Operation and Practice of Private Investigations in Nigeria,” was met with significant opposition during debate.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Osita Ngwu (PDP Enugu West), sought to provide a regulatory framework for private investigators, ensuring ethical standards in fraud detection, insurance investigation, risk management, and other professional services.

Ngwu highlighted the success of private investigation practices in countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada, arguing that Nigeria should also professionalise the industry.

“The bill aims to prevent fraud, regulate corporate and insurance investigations and promote industry-based training to maintain capacity and standards,” Ngwu explained.

He added that the bill would provide penalties for unlicensed operations and negligence while encouraging best practices in the field.

However, the bill raised strong opposition from some senators, including Adams Oshiomhole, Iya Abbas and Mustapha Saliu, who argued that it could be used as a tool for personal vendettas and could result in widespread abuse. They also expressed concerns about the potential for private investigators to interfere in law enforcement activities.

Despite support from Senators Olalere Oyewumi and Victor Umeh, majority of senators were not in favour of the bill.

Responding to the prevailing sentiment, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, urged Ngwu to withdraw the bill for further refinement, which he did without hesitation.

MEANWHILE, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), yesterday, condemned a recent Senate bill proposing the establishment of a Local Government Election Commission, describing it as a dangerous move that that would threaten democracy in the country due to its fraudulent intent.

Titled ‘Local Government Independent Electoral Commission Establishment Bill’, the bill is sponsored by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, and has since passed first reading at plenary.

It is intended to be an autonomous body mandated to organise, oversee and conduct elections for the offices of local government chairman and councillors across all states.

Commenting on the bill, the National Publicity Secretary of NNPP, Ladipo Johnson, in a statement, warned that granting federal powers to such an agency would exacerbate an already chaotic electoral process, further damaging the nation’s democracy, adding that it would never serve a good purpose but rather destroy whatever was left of the nation’s beleaguered democracy.

He argued that rather than creating new agencies, there should be a commitment to enforcing electoral laws and upholding democratic principles.