ASABA/Nigeria: The Delta State House of Assembly, Tuesday at Plenary, passed the Delta State occupational Safety Bill 2020 after it scaled through third reading.
This is coming following Tuesday’s legislative scrutiny of the Bill at Committee of the Whole which was chaired by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.
With the Law, it has become mandatory for owners or proprietors of any public place such as shopping malls, eatries, Cinemas, supermarkets, petrol/gas stations, private/public motor parks, event centers, Hotels, public and private offices as well as worship centres to install Smart Surveillance Cameras in such public places.
The law, according to the Lawmakers, will ensure that the cameras should be installed or mounted to capture the view from both the inside and the surrounding premises of the public place where it is mounted.
Also, the Lawmakers, while saying that the footages of the camera shall be used for the purpose of crime detention and prevention, added that it shall henceforth be lawful for any owner of private residential buildings to install or mount any form of camera in his/her premises for the purpose of security surveillance, provided that such camera is not projected to capture images or pictures from any room or building near or adjacent to the premises where it is installed.
The law, according the legislators also, prescribed a fine of N1 Million or a
two-year jail term or both for any individual without legal authority to remove, destroy, redirect the position or tamper with a camera installed or mounted in any place.
Further, the lawmakers said, “Any owner or proprietor of a public place listed above, who fails, refuse or neglects to procure and or install. The prescribed camera shall be guilty of an offence under this law and shall upon conviction be liable to imprisonment for a term of two years or a fine of N500, 000 and the premises shall be sealed up.
“In the case of corporate body, such defaulting corporate body shall be liable to a fine of N500, 000 and sealing up of such premises until compliance with the provisions of the Law.
“Any owner of private home or premises who uses the camera to take picture of any person (s) for the purpose of intimidating, blackmailing or to cause any format of disrepute to such person, commits an offence and on conviction, shall be liable to one year imprisonment or N300, 000 fine or both” the Lawmakers moved.
Addressing the House shortly after the meeting of the Committee of the whole House, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori commended them for what he described as their legislative ingenuity, patience and wisdom during the debate just as he maintained that the law will help in strengthening the security architecture in the state.
