The upper chamber of the National Assembly, the Senate, has rejected a bill aimed at setting out the rules and conditions for operating and practicing private investigations in Nigeria.
The bill, introduced by Senator Osita Ngwu (PDP, Enugu West), was voted down by most members during the discussion in the Red Chamber.
In his opening remarks, Senator Ngwu, who serves as the Senate Minority Whip, explained that the bill’s main goals include establishing a structure for the licensing and regulation of private investigators, as well as setting standards for their professional conduct.
He mentioned that private investigation is a well-established field in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and Canada.
Senator Ngwu pointed out that some private investigators have backgrounds in law enforcement, while others come from the military and intelligence sectors.
He also highlighted the growing global trend of requiring licenses for private investigators to uphold ethical standards.
“The objectives of the bill include fraud prevention, detection, assessment and resolution; corporate fraud and risk management services; insurance fraud and claims investigation; aviation accident and loss investigation; marine loss investigation; occupational health and safety incident investigation; and witness location and bail bond defaulters etc.
“The bill defines the scope of the profession; ensures standards; provides penalty for professional negligence; prescribes offences for operation without a license and encourages industry-based training to maintain capacity.
“The bill essentially seeks to professionalize the industry and has no financial implication,” Senator Ngwu noted.
However, during the debate on the bill, while the Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Olalere Oyewumi, and Senator Victor Umeh supported the bill, others like senators Adams Oshiomhole, Iya Abbas, and Mustapha Saliu kicked against it, describing it as a recipe for a personal fight.
Having watched different arguments from his corner, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, called on the bill’s sponsor to withdraw it for further legislative inputs, which he hurriedly did.
