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 organisations in Abuja.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) issued the warning on Friday, saying owners of public facilities must stop allowing illegal groups to use their premises for gatherings capable of disrupting peace and security in the nation’s capital.
The warning was contained in a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka.
According to the statement, land allocations in the FCT were strictly meant for lawful activities, stressing that any property linked to activities of illegal organisations risked losing its title documents.
The administration said it 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.
It added that the monitoring was aimed at ensuring such facilities were not used by illegal organisations for gatherings capable of disturbing public peace.
The FCTA further directed owners of the facilities to verify the legality of organisations 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 leaderships of political parties recognised 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 recognised 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.
