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From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The Senate has called for tougher tenancy regulations and investigations into suspected trafficking networks as part of measures to protect Nigerians from modern slavery and exploitation abroad, particularly in Libya.
It said stronger monitoring of tenants, short-let apartments and recruitment agencies would help security agencies track criminal networks, while urging the Federal Government to improve the protection and rehabilitation of trafficking victims.
The resolutions were adopted following consideration of a joint report by the Senate Committees on Diaspora and NGOs, Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Foreign Affairs, and Special Duties on protecting Nigerians from trafficking and abuse abroad.
Presenting the report, the Vice Chairman of the Diaspora Committee, Anthony Yaro, said the committees had consulted relevant stakeholders and examined an earlier motion on the trafficking of Nigerians in Libya.
The Senate recommended a review and stricter enforcement of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, and the Child Rights Act, 2003.
It also called on the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the police, Nigeria Immigration Service, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other relevant agencies to investigate suspected trafficking rings and travel agencies implicated in the recruitment and exploitation of Nigerians overseas.
The investigations, according to the recommendations, should examine recruitment channels, financial transactions, travel arrangements and other evidence that could lead to the prosecution of those involved.
Furthermore, the Senate called for increased funding for NAPTIP and related agencies to strengthen their capacity to investigate cases, prosecute offenders and provide assistance to victims.
It also recommended a national protection and reintegration programme for Nigerians rescued from trafficking, to be coordinated by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, in partnership with NAPTIP.
On the diplomatic front, the lawmakers urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intensify engagement with Libya, particularly on intelligence sharing, border management, dismantling trafficking networks and the repatriation of victims.
However, debate on the report widened to the need to address security gaps within the country, with Senate President Godswill Akpabio recounting the case of three children allegedly abducted in Akwa Ibom State and moved through Aba, Katsina and Lagos before they were almost trafficked to Ghana.
Akpabio said the children had been missing for 93 days before their rescue.
He commended the Inspector-General of Police and the Akwa Ibom State Police Command for their role in recovering the children and pledged a university scholarship for the eldest.
The incident prompted calls by Akpabio and other senators for stricter tenancy laws, including a “Know Your Tenant” arrangement and regulation of short-let apartments, to make it easier for security agencies to identify and trace people suspected of criminal activities.
Former Sokoto State Governor and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, recalled an attempt to introduce tenancy registration legislation while he presided over the House, which did not succeed at the state assembly level.
He, however, cited Sokoto State as an example, saying a similar measure was subsequently enacted through a Rent Control and Management Commission.
Tambuwal urged other states to adopt comparable arrangements to strengthen monitoring and accountability within the rental sector.
However, other lawmakers, including Senators Neda Imasuen, Babangida Hussaini, Adams Oshiomhole and Mohammed Aliero, cautioned that the existence of laws would not be sufficient without effective implementation.
They called for stronger enforcement of existing legislation, wider public enlightenment and more employment opportunities to reduce the economic pressures that push Nigerians towards irregular migration and leave them vulnerable to traffickers.
