The Senate has rescinded its earlier passage of the Proceeds of Crime Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, following the discovery of drafting, legal, and policy flaws in the proposed legislation.
The decision was taken on Thursday after lawmakers
unanimously adopted a motion moved by Opeyemi Bamidele, the senate leader, who
said the issues came to light after the bill was passed on July 9.
Bamidele told the chamber that the identified shortcomings
were significant enough to affect the implementation of the legislation if left
unresolved.
“Drafting, legal and policy issues requiring further
legislative scrutiny and refinement were identified,” he said.
“The senate observes that the identified issues are
fundamental to the effective implementation of the proposed legislation and, if
left unaddressed, may undermine the objectives of the bill and create
unintended legal and operational consequences.”
He said revisiting the legislation was necessary to ensure
it aligns with Nigeria’s constitutional framework and international best
practices on asset recovery and the management of proceeds of crime.
“The senate notes that it is in the overriding public
interest and in keeping with the senate’s commitment to enacting sound,
coherent and implementable legislation that the bill be revisited to address
the identified concerns,” he said.
“The senate… is convinced that rescinding its earlier
decision will afford the chamber the opportunity to reconsider the affected
provisions and ensure that the legislation conforms with international best
practices in asset recovery, proceeds of crime management, and Nigeria’s
constitutional and legal framework.”
Bamidele urged the senate to invoke orders 1(b) and 52(6) of
its standing orders to reverse the earlier passage of the bill and allow for
further legislative work.
The motion briefly sparked a procedural debate after Yahaya
Abdullahi, senator representing Kebbi north, questioned whether it had been
properly listed on the supplementary order paper.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio ruled that the motion was
validly brought under the senate rules, while Bamidele clarified that
Abdullahi’s concern related only to procedure and not the substance of the
proposal.
Abdullahi subsequently seconded the motion, describing the
review as being in the national interest.
He, however, sought clarification on whether the bill would
be returned to the relevant committee or referred to the national assembly’s
legal department for further work.
Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, said identifying and
correcting flaws before a bill becomes law reflected legislative diligence
rather than weakness, urging lawmakers to support the rescission.
Abdul Ningi, senator representing Bauchi central, also
backed the move, noting that such reviews are not unusual in parliamentary
practice.
He suggested that Idiat Adebule, the bill’s sponsor, should
be fully involved in refining the legislation to ensure broad ownership of the
revised provisions.
Some lawmakers observed that substantial amendments could
necessitate another public hearing, but Akpabio ruled the suggestion out of
order, saying the chamber was only considering whether to rescind the earlier
passage of the bill.
He added that the private member’s bill would be
reconsidered after the identified inconsistencies had been addressed.
Following a voice vote, the Senate unanimously rescinded its
July 9 decision passing the bill.
Akpabio thereafter directed that the legislation should not
be transmitted to the House of Representatives until the review process is
concluded.
The bill, sponsored by Adebule, seeks to establish an
independent proceeds-of-crime recovery and management agency to oversee the recovery, preservation, and disposal of assets suspected of having been acquired
through unlawful activities.
Lawmakers had said the proposed legislation would strengthen
Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework by separating asset management from
prosecution, introducing uniform standards for managing forfeited assets and
creating a centralised database to improve transparency and accountability.
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