The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), under the leadership of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, has warned owners of event centres, hotels and other public facilities in Abuja against allowing illegal organisations or unrecognised political party factions to use their premises.
The administration said it would revoke the title documents of any event centre, hotel or public building found hosting gatherings organised by unlawful groups.
The warning was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka.
According to the statement, the directive forms part of efforts to strengthen security in the Federal Capital Territory and support ongoing operations by security agencies.
“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.
The administration explained that the move aims to prevent public facilities from being used by groups capable of disrupting peace in the nation’s capital.
The FCTA urged owners and operators of such facilities to verify the legal status of organisations seeking to rent their venues and to properly establish the purpose of gatherings before granting approval.
The statement specifically advised hotel and event centre operators to transact only with leaderships of political parties recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission during the current political period.
“For instance, in this political season, owners of Event Centres and Hotels in particular must ensure that they only deal with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised leadership of political parties in respect of the use of their facilities,” the statement added.
The FCTA warned that failure to comply with the directive would result in the revocation of property titles, stressing that lands allocated within the Federal Capital Territory must only be used for lawful activities.