By Jeff Agbodo, Abakaliki

ABAKALIKI — The Ebonyi State House of Assembly has passed a bill seeking to regulate the sale and handling of metal and electrical scraps, house rents and estate agency fees in the state.

The bill, which was passed during plenary at the House of Assembly Complex, Nkaliki Road, was presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Moses Ije Odunwa.

The law, which takes effect from August 11, 2026, is to be cited as the Ebonyi State Sale of Scraps, House Rent and Agent Fees Regulation Law, 2026.

The legislation seeks to regulate the sale, possession, transportation and disposal of metal and electrical scraps, standardise rents and curb excessive agency fees charged by both professionals and non-professionals.

Under the law, no person shall buy, sell, possess for sale, transport or dispose of metal or electrical scraps except as a licensed dealer in accordance with regulations made under the law.

An offender is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine of not more than N500,000.

The law also provides that any landlord who obtains an order for possession of an accommodation through fraud, misrepresentation or concealment of a material fact commits an offence and is liable to two years’ imprisonment.

It further stipulates that estate agents’ fees shall not exceed two per cent of the gross sum of the transaction.

From the commencement of the law, the standard rent prescribed by the governor for different categories of accommodation shall apply, and landlords are prohibited from charging above the prescribed standard rent.

To promote transparency and professionalism in property transactions, the law requires all estate agents operating within the capital city to register with the Ministry of Capital City Development.

The Leader of the House, Hon. Kingsley Ogbonna Ikoro, said the legislation was designed to curb the vandalism of public and private property, environmental degradation and exploitative practices in the housing sector.

Contributing to the debate, Hon. Victor Nwoke, representing Abakaliki North; Hon. Nwodo Aloysius Nwodo, representing Ebonyi North-West; Hon. Oluchukwu Ukie Ezeali, representing Afikpo East; Hon. Friday Ogbuewu, representing Ezza South; and Hon. Celestine Ogba, representing Onicha East, described the legislation as timely and necessary.

They said it would help address the increasing cases of scrap theft and arbitrary rent increases in the state.

In his remarks after the passage, the Speaker said the activities of some scrap dealers had contributed to damage to public and private property and other challenges in society.

He said the new law would promote public safety and restore sanity to property transactions in the state.

The bill was exhaustively considered by the Committee of the Whole, with members examining it page by page and making corrections to grammatical and drafting errors.

Following the consideration, the bill was unanimously passed by the lawmakers.