A bill seeking to regulate and provide legal backing for private investigators in the country failed to pass a second reading at the Senate during plenary on Wednesday. The bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Prescribe Standards and Conditions of Licence for Operation and Practice of Private Investigators in the Country,” was sponsored by Sen. Osita Ngwu (PDP-Enugu).
The non-passage of the bill for a second reading followed concerns raised by lawmakers regarding its implications. They expressed fears that, if passed, the bill could empower private individuals to pry into the private lives of perceived opponents.
Leading the debate on the bill, Sen. Ngwu highlighted the various capacities in which private investigators operate. He noted that some specialize in tracing, while others focus on Technical Surveillance Countermeasures (ISCM), which involve locating and addressing unwanted electronic surveillance, such as bugged boardrooms used for industrial espionage.
“This type of service is typically conducted by those with a background in intelligence, counterintelligence, executive protection, and law enforcement,” he explained.
Ngwu listed the objectives of the bill, which 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; witness location; and bail bond defaulters.