Senate Wants Landlords to Verify Tenants with NIN to Curb Trafficking, Kidnapping
The Nigerian Senate has proposed a new tenancy law that will require landlords across the country to verify the identity of their tenants using the National Identification Number (NIN).
The proposal was made on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, during plenary in Abuja. It followed the consideration of a joint committee report on the protection of Nigerians from human trafficking, slavery, and human rights abuses in Libya.
According to the Senate, the measure is aimed at combating the rising cases of human trafficking, kidnapping, and other criminal activities where criminals rent houses with fake identities and disappear without trace.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, while contributing, said the proposed law would be similar to the Know-Your-Customer (KYC) policy used in the banking sector. He said it would start with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“People enter people’s properties with very nefarious intentions. We must know your tenant. Let’s make the necessary law for the FCT,” Akpabio said.
The Senate also resolved to regulate short-let apartments, which it said are often used by criminals to evade security checks.
Other resolutions include directing NAPTIP, the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, and the EFCC to investigate travel agencies allegedly involved in trafficking Nigerians abroad, and a review of the Trafficking in Persons Act 2015.
Senator Aminu Tambuwal supported the move, citing Lagos State’s tenancy law as a model, while Senator Adams Oshiomhole described trafficking as an organized international business.
The Senate noted that the law has not yet been passed, but legislative work will begin immediately.
_This article originally appeared on Imo Media Hub._
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