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The short answer
Most families combine three things: the estate or street security levy, a guard (hired directly or through a company) and an alarm or camera system. In Nigeria, private guard companies need an operating licence from the Minister of Interior through the NSCDC, and the NSCDC sealed seven unlicensed or expired-licence firms in Abuja in May 2025, so hire only a licensed company, pay its business account against an invoice, and ask the estate for a separate receipt for every levy.
Security is often the first worry when parents live alone at home. From abroad you can pay for it, but you also need to know what you are paying for, who you are paying, and how to tell if the service is actually being delivered. This guide covers the three common layers and how to pay for each.
Layer one: the estate or street levy
In a gated estate or a street with a residents' association, security is often a shared levy that pays for gatemen, vigilance groups or patrols. Ask for the association's budget and the levy schedule in writing, and check whether it is billed monthly, quarterly or yearly.
Where your parents rent, the law may help with records. Lagos State's Tenancy Law 2011 requires a landlord to give a separate receipt for a security deposit or service charge and to provide a written account at least every six months (section 10). Even where your parents own the house, ask the association for a receipt for each payment; it settles disputes when committees change.
Layer two: a guard
Families either employ a gateman directly or hire a guard through a private security company. Each has trade-offs.
| Direct gateman | Licensed guard company | |
|---|---|---|
| Who vets the guard | You and the family | The company, which should keep records |
| Cover for sick days and leave | You arrange it | The company should supply a relief guard |
| Who you pay | The guard, usually monthly | The company, against an invoice |
| If something goes wrong | A personal matter with one person | A contract with a registered business |
Check the company is licensed
Arise News reported in May 2025 that a private guard company must register with the Corporate Affairs Commission and hold an operating licence approved by the Minister of Interior through the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). In that operation the NSCDC sealed seven firms in Abuja: six had no operating licence and one had an expired licence. The commandant warned that some operators hire people without background checks, and said guards had allegedly kidnapped employers and planned robberies.
- Ask the company for its CAC registration number and its NSCDC operating licence, with the expiry date.
- Ask how it vets guards: identity, references, previous employers.
- Get the guard's full name and a photo before the first shift, and ask what happens if he is replaced.
- Agree the hours, number of guards and relief arrangement in a written contract.
- If in doubt, ask the state NSCDC command whether the company is licensed.
Layer three: alarms, cameras and lights
A camera system you can view from your phone is the most direct way to see that the gate is closed and the guard is on duty. Budget for the installation, a backup power source so the system keeps running during outages, and a monthly data plan. Ask the installer who will receive alerts: you abroad, a sibling nearby, the guard company, or all three. Lighting, a strong gate and a working phone for your parents are cheaper measures that matter as much.
Make sure your parents know whom to call. In Lagos, the state reminded residents in February 2026 that 767 and 112 are toll-free emergency lines answered by the Command and Control Centre, which mobilises agencies including the Rapid Response Squad. Other states publish their own numbers.
Paying for it from abroad
- List each security cost separately: levy, guard or company, alarm subscription, data.
- Pay companies and associations into their business accounts, against an invoice, and keep the receipt.
- Pay a direct gateman on a fixed date into an account in his own name, and keep a record.
- Do not pay a year in advance to a new company; start monthly until the service proves itself.
- Ask a sibling or neighbour to visit unannounced now and then, and compare it with what the cameras show.
Worked example
An example only, with illustrative figures. The estate levy is ₦30,000 a month, a licensed company charges ₦120,000 a month for one guard with relief cover, and the camera system's data plan costs ₦10,000. Monthly total: ₦30,000 + ₦120,000 + ₦10,000 = ₦160,000, or ₦1,920,000 a year. Keeping it outside your parents' everyday monthly allowance makes it easier to see if any line rises.
Treating a gateman fairly
A gateman employed directly by your parents is their employee. Agree in writing what he is paid, when, his hours, his days off and who covers his absence, and pay on the same date every month. Guards who are paid late or worked without rest are more likely to leave, or worse, to be careless about who they let in. A small allowance for food and phone credit, and somewhere decent to sit and sleep on night shifts, goes a long way. If you use a company, ask how it pays and rests its guards; a company that underpays staff is a risk to the home it guards.
Where Pryme fits
With a Pryme account you can pay the estate association, the guard company and the installer directly in naira from abroad with Send, and keep a verifiable receipt of each payment for when committees change. If your money is in pounds or dollars, Swap shows the rate and fee before you approve.
Questions people ask
How do I know a security company in Nigeria is licensed?
Ask for its CAC registration and its NSCDC operating licence with the expiry date. Private guard companies need an operating licence approved by the Minister of Interior through the NSCDC.
Is it better to hire a gateman or a security company?
A licensed company should vet guards and provide relief cover under a contract; a direct gateman costs you more effort in vetting and cover. Many families use a company for the guard and pay the estate levy separately.
Should I get a receipt for estate security levy?
Yes. In Lagos, the Tenancy Law requires landlords to give tenants a separate receipt for service charges. Whether you rent or own, ask the association for a receipt every time.
Can I watch my parents' home cameras from abroad?
Yes, with a camera system that streams to an app, backup power and a data plan. Agree who receives alerts and who on the ground responds.
Sources
- NSCDC shuts down seven illegal private security companies in Abuja (Arise News) · accessed Oct 2026
- Lagos State Tenancy Law 2011 (Policy Vault copy) · accessed Oct 2026
- Lagos govt urges residents to use emergency lines 767, 112 · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.