Nigerian Senate seeks tenant identity checks to combat trafficking
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Thechronicle
Nigeria’s Senate is calling for rules requiring landlords to verify tenants’ identities, including through the national identification number, to combat human trafficking and kidnapping. It also called for investigations into travel agencies and regulation of short-term rentals, according to The Chronicle.
Nigeria’s Senate is calling for stricter tenancy rules requiring landlords to verify their tenants’ identities, notably using the National Identification Number (NIN). The upper chamber wants to combat human trafficking, kidnapping and other criminal activities in this way, according to The Chronicle.
Senators also asked the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and several services, including the police and immigration services, to investigate travel agencies suspected of being linked to the exploitation of Nigerians abroad. The proposed investigations would cover recruitment networks, financial transactions and movements. Lawmakers also propose regulating short-term accommodation, which criminals could use to evade checks.
The resolutions followed consideration of a report on protecting Nigerians from trafficking, slavery and human rights abuses in Libya. The Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, said renting property to unidentified people could facilitate criminal activities. Aminu Tambuwal, a former governor of Sokoto State, called for rules on tenant registration, rent controls and security checks, as well as proof of property ownership.
