The Senate has called for stricter tenancy regulations requiring landlords to verify tenants’ identities, including through the National Identification Number, NIN, as part of efforts to curb human trafficking, kidnapping and other criminal activities.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said renting properties to unidentified individuals could provide cover for criminal activities, stressing the need to review existing laws to ensure tenants could be properly identified and traced when necessary.
The lawmakers also urged the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, to collaborate with security agencies and other relevant institutions to investigate travel agencies allegedly involved in human trafficking and the exploitation of Nigerians abroad. The proposed investigations are expected to examine recruitment networks, financial transactions and travel arrangements linked to the alleged offences.
The resolutions followed consideration of a report on protecting Nigerians from trafficking, slavery and human rights abuses in Libya, presented by the Senate Committees on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Foreign Affairs, and Special Duties.
Contributing to the debate, former Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, advocated legislation covering tenant registration, rent control and security checks. He also urged landlords to establish proof of ownership of their properties and called on the National Assembly to encourage state legislatures to adopt similar measures.
Other lawmakers, including Babangida Hussaini and Adams Oshiomhole, stressed the need to strengthen existing anti-trafficking laws, regulate short-let apartments and dismantle organised trafficking networks, including those operating across international borders.
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The Senate further called for increased funding for NAPTIP and other relevant agencies to improve investigations, prosecutions and victim support. It also urged the Federal Government to establish a National Reintegration and Protection Programme for returning victims and other vulnerable Nigerians, in collaboration with relevant agencies.
