The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has threatened to revoke the land titles of event centres, hotels and other public facilities used for meetings and activities of “illegal organizations” in the nation’s capital.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), which is under the supervision of the Minister, warned owners of public facilities to stop allowing illegal groups to use their premises for gatherings capable of disrupting peace and security in Abuja.
The warning was contained in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka.
He said land allocations in the FCT were strictly meant for lawful activities, stressing that any property linked to activities of illegal organizations risked losing its title documents.
Olayinka said the administration would intensify monitoring of event centres, hotels and other public buildings as part of measures to safeguard lives and property and support ongoing security efforts in the territory.
“In view of the need to further ensure the security of lives and properties in the FCT and sustain the efforts of security agencies in this regard, usage of Event Centres, Hotels and other public buildings will now be closely monitored,” the statement said.
He added that the monitoring was aimed at ensuring such facilities were not used by illegal organizations for gatherings capable of disturbing public peace.
The FCTA further directed owners of the facilities to verify the legality of organizations seeking to use their premises and keep proper transaction records before approving bookings.
The administration specifically warned hotel and event centre operators to deal only with leaders of political parties recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), especially during the ongoing political season.
“For instance, in this political season, owners of Event Centres and Hotels in particular must ensure that they only deal with INEC recognized leadership of political parties in respect of the use of their facilities, and proper records of transactions must be kept,” the statement added.
The FCTA warned that failure to comply with the directive would lead to revocation of the affected property titles.