09/12/2025
Good way to go
A BILL FOR AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISION FOR THE REGISTRATION AND GRANT OF
LICENCE FOR THE USE OF PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANIES IN NIGERIA, TO COMPLIMENT THE ACTIVITIES OF THE MILITARY IN THE
DEFENCE OF THE NATIONS TERRITORY AND FOR OTHER RELATED PURPOSES.
Sponsor: Senator Prince Ned Munir Nwoko
ENACTED by the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
PART I: ESTABLISHMENT, COMPOSITION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE NIGERIAN PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANIES REGISTRATION COUNCIL
1: Establishment of the Council
(1) There is established a body to be known as the Nigerian Private Security Registration Council
(Which shall in this bill be referred to as the
Council).
(2) The Council shall:
(a) be a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal
(b) have power to sue and be sued in its corporate name;
(c) be capable of purchasing, acquiring, holding
and disposing of movable and immovable property.
2: Composition of the Council
The Council shall consist of the following:
(a) National Security Adviser (Who shall be the
Chairman;
(b) Chief of Defence Staff;
(c) Inspector General of the Police;
(d) The Attorney General and Minister for Justice;
(e) Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of
Defence (Who shall serve as Secretary of the
Council); and
(f) six persons one each from the six geopolitical
zone in the country who shall all have at least
fifteen years cognate experience and
knowledge in security, military matters and
international humanitarian law or practice.
3: Aims and Objectives
The aims and objectives of this Act are amongst others to:
a. determine the service(s) that may or may not be contracted to Private security Companies;
b. establish procedure for the selection of Private Security Companies;
c. provide adequate security for the protection of the lives and properties of citizens in the
country by not over stretching the efforts of
conventional security operatives through the
use of Private Companies ;
d. provide public disclosure of Private Security
Companies regulation and practice;
e. ensure that Private Security Companies comply strictly to international humanitarian law and practice in carrying out their operation in the country; and
f. any other objective(s) as the President may
determine.
4: Appointment of Members of the Council
(1) The President shall appoint and constitute members of the Council.
(2) The appointment and constitution of members of the Council in subsection 1 of this section shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate.
5: Functions of the Council
The functions of the Council are to amongst others and subject to the approval of the President carryout the following:
a. grant operational licence to qualified companies to operate as Private Security Companies;
b. develop a data base for Private Security Companies in Nigeria;
c. develop criteria for the grant of licence (s) to Private Security Companies;
d. renew and revoke licence (s) of Private Security Companies.
e. review from time to time the qualifications and criteria for the grant to licence (s) to Private Security Companies;
f. develop criteria for the grant and use of weapons by Private Security Companies;
g. develop capacity building criteria for personnel(s) of Private Security Companies;
h. develop a financial operational capacity for the grant of licence to Private Security Companies; and
i. carryout any other function as may be directed by the President in other to give full effect to the provisions of this Act.
6: Tenure of Office of Members of the Council
Members of the Council appointed by the President in section 2(e) of this Act shall hold office for a term of four years and maybe reappointed for a term of another four years and no more.
7: Cessation of Office of Members of the Council
(1) A Member of the Council may:
(a) be removed from office by the President for
inability to discharge the functions of the
office, whether arising from infirmity of mind or body or for any act of misconduct; or
(b) resign by giving one (1) months’ notice in
writing addressed to the President.
(2) A member may also be removed from office if that member has:
(a) been adjudged or declared insolvent or
bankrupt and has not been rehabilitated or
discharged;
(b) made an assignment, arrangement or
composition with creditors which has not been
rescinded or set aside;
(c) been adjudged by a court of competent
jurisdiction, to be of unsound mind;
(d) been banned from professional practice;
(e) been convicted of an offence involving
dishonesty and sentenced to a term of
imprisonment imposed with or without the
option of a fine, whether or not any portion of
the term has been suspended;
(f) Non-disclosure of interest;
(g) attained the age of seventy years; or
(h) been unable to discharge his or her function by reason of death.
8: Filling of Vacancy in the Council
(1) The President shall nominate a candidate to the Senate to fill a vacancy that has arisen by any of the circumstances stated in section 6 and 7 of this Act.
(2) The nomination by the President and confirmation by the Senate stated in subsection 1 of this section shall be done within two months of the existence of the vacancy.
9: Allowances
Members of the Council, in line with the specialised nature of their job shall be paid such allowances as the President may approve.
10: Meetings
(1) The Council shall meet at least six (6) times in a year.
(2) The Chairman shall preside at every meeting of the Council and can also summon an emergency meeting of the Council.
(3) The Chairman shall preside at every meeting of the Council and in the Chairman’s absence, one of the members shall be appointed by a majority of members present to preside.
11: Voting
(1) Any question for decision before the Council shall be decided by the majority of votes of members present and voting and, in the event of a tie the Chairman presiding shall have a casting vote.
(2) The Council shall obtain the approval of the President, on any of its decision taken in respect to sections 3 and 5 of this Act.
12: Quorum
The quorum for any meeting of the Council shall be one third of the members including the Chairman.
13: Proceedings of the Council
The Council may make standing orders regulating proceedings at any of its meeting.
14: Power to Co-opt
Where the Council desires to obtain the advice of any person on a matter, it may co-opt the person as a member for such period as it thinks fit:
Provided that a person co-opted shall not be entitled to vote at any meeting of the Council and shall not count towards a quorum.
15: The Council shall give quarterly reports of its activities to the President and the National Assembly.
PART II: SECRETARIAT OF THE COUNCIL AND ITS STAFF
16: Secretariat of the Council
There shall be a Secretariat of the Council and its operations shall be domiciled in the Presidency.
17: The Secretary of the Council shall co-ordinate and supervise the activities and operations of the Secretariat on behave of
the Council.
18: Staff of the Secretariat of the Council
The Council shall have powers to receive on secondment such officers and staff from the public service of the Nation as it deems necessary to give full effect to the operations of
the Secretariat.
19: Allowances
Staff of the Secretariat to the Council shall be entitled to allowances as may be approved by the President.
20: The Council shall exercise disciplinary control of the Staff of its Secretariat in line with public service rules.
21: Pre Action Notice
(1) No suit shall be commenced against the Council before the expiration of a period of thirty (30) days after written notice of intention to commence the suit shall have been served upon the Council by the intending Claimant or Claimant’s agent, and the notice shall clearly and explicitly state:
(a) the cause of action;
(b) the particulars of the claim:
(c) the name and place of abode of the intending Claimants; and
(d) the reliefs which are claimed.
(2) The notice referred to in subsection 1of this Section and any summons or other document required or authorized to be served on the Council, may be served by delivering same to the Chairman or the Secretariat of the Council.
PART III: FUNDS, ACCOUNT AND AUDIT OF THE
COUNCIL
22: Funds of the Council
(1) The Council shall establish and maintain a fund from which there shall be defrayed all expenditure incurred by the Council.
(2) There shall be paid or credited to the fund:
(a) such sums as may be appropriated to the Council by the National Assembly;
(b) fees, charges and other income accruing to the Council from licences issued by the Council;
(c) all monies which may vest in the Council under any enactment or Act; and
(e) all other sums or property which may in any
manner become payable to or vested in the Council in respect of any matter incidental to its powers or duties under this Act.
23: Account and Audit
The Council shall keep proper accounts in respect of each financial year and proper records in relation to these accounts, and will cause their accounts to be audited at the end of each financial year by a firm of auditors, selected from a list of auditors approved by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
24: Financial year of the Council
The financial year of the Council shall be a period of twelve calendar year commencing from the 1st of January to the 31st of December in each year.
25: The Council shall prepare and submit to the President:
(a) not later than 31 of March in each year, a report of its activities and operations of the preceding year with a certified copy of its audited accounts and auditor’s report for that period;
(b) its proposed annual estimates of revenue and expenditure for the period commencing from the 1 of January and ending on December of the year not later than three (3) months to the expiration of the current year.
PART IV: OFFENCES, PEANLTY AND JURISDICTION OF COURT
26: Offence
(1) From the commencement of this Act it shall be a crime for any person in the country to carry on any business, activity or operations similar to the activities of Private Military without obtaining license from the Council.
(2) Penalty: Any person found guilty under this section shall be liable to life imprisonment in case of a natural person and in case of corporate entity it shall be wound up and all the
directors and officers of the company shall be liable to life imprisonment.
27. A company shall be incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 before it can be issued a licence by the Council.
28: Power to Issue Guidelines by the Council
The Council shall have all the powers to issue guidelines and other requirements for the issuance of license to qualified Companies.
29: Jurisdiction of the Court
The Federal High Court shall have original jurisdiction to try matters with respect to any offence or matter relating to the
provisions of this Act.
PART V:FINAL PROVISIONS
30: Interpretation
In this Act:
“Act” means: The Private Security Registration Act;
“Council” means: Nigerian Private Security Registration Council;
“National Assembly” means: National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria:
“President” means: President and Commander in Chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria;
“Private Security Companies” means: business entities that provide security services, that include armed guarding and protection of persons and objects, maintenance and operations of weapons systems, prisoner
detention and advice to training of local forces and security personnel. They are conventionally understood to provide services to back up the military to enhance effectiveness. They can be divided into two categories:
active Private Security Companies willing to carry arms and passive Private Security Companies that focus on training and organisational issues. Private Security
Companies are not to be construed as mercenaries;
31: Citation
The Private Security Registration Act. 2024
