Ebonyi lawmakers pass law to check rent hikes, scrap theft

The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has passed a bill regulating the sale and handling of scrap materials, house rents and estate agency fees in the state.

The legislation, titled Ebonyi State Sale of Scraps, House Rent and Agent Fees Regulation Law, 2026, was passed during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Moses Odunwa.

The law will take effect once assented to by Governor Francis Nwifuru and is aimed at curbing the theft and vandalism of critical infrastructure, protecting the environment and addressing alleged exploitation in the housing sector.

Under the legislation, the purchase, sale, possession for sale, transportation or disposal of metal and electrical scraps will be restricted to licensed dealers operating in line with regulations established under the law.

Offenders may face up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of N500,000.

The law also targets fraudulent practices by landlords, stipulating that any landlord who obtains possession of accommodation through fraud, misrepresentation or concealment of material facts commits an offence punishable by up to two years in prison.

It further caps estate agents’ fees at two per cent of the gross value of a property transaction.

The legislation requires landlords to comply with standard rents prescribed by the governor for various categories of accommodation once the law takes effect.

It also mandates estate agents operating in the state capital to register with the Ministry of Capital City as part of measures to improve transparency and professionalism in property transactions.

Presenting the bill, the House Leader, Kingsley Ikoro, said the legislation was necessary to tackle vandalism, environmental degradation and exploitative practices in the housing sector.

“This legislation is very important to us as a people because it will help check vandalism of critical assets, environmental degradation and exploitative practices in the housing sector,” Ikoro said.

During the debate, lawmakers including Victor Nwoke, Aloysius Nwodo, Oluchukwu Ezeali, Friday Ogbuewu and Celestine Ogba described the bill as timely, particularly amid concerns over scrap theft and arbitrary increases in house rents.

Odunwa said scrap dealers had caused significant damage to society, expressing optimism that the legislation would help improve public safety and restore order to property transactions.

The bill was considered clause by clause by the Committee of the Whole, with lawmakers making corrections to identified grammatical errors before unanimously passing it.

In a separate development, the Assembly adopted the Auditor-General’s report on the consolidated financial statements of the Ebonyi State Government for the year ended December 31, 2025, which it said complied with accepted accounting principles.

The lawmakers also screened and confirmed nine nominees appointed by Governor Nwifuru as coordinator and members of the management committee of the Amasiri Development Centre in Afikpo Local Government Area.

The screening followed the reinstatement of the development centre after it had previously been disbanded and delisted by the state government.