Terror Alert: Abuja hotels, guests to undergo security profiling

HOTELS operating in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the guests checking into them would henceforth be profiled, the Abuja Metropolitan Management Agency (AMMC) said yesterday.

The profiling would be done by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) alongside security operatives.

The AMMC has also given a one-week ultimatum to hotels operating in residential buildings to close shops failing which he threatens to apply punitive measures against erring operators.

Also yesterday, the Defence Headquarters said the military needed not to be spurred by terror alerts from foreign nations to rise to its responsibility of defending the country.

At a news conference yesterday, AMMC Coordinator, Umar Shuiabu, listed some of the steps being taken to make Abuja safe for residents and travellers to include shut down of the facilities and revocation of titles.

Shuiabu explained that the renewed clamp down against erring hotels, guest’s houses and motels, among others in the FCT, was to help curb insecurity in the nation’s capital.

Regretting that these unregistered hospitality facilities provided avenues for criminal elements to hide and perpetrate their crimes, Shuiabu insisted that all hotels, and the likes, must henceforth profile all their guests and liaise with relevant security agencies with a view to nipping crimes and criminalities in the bud.

He said: “The FCTA has observed with great concern that some random persons altered their land use from the initial approved purpose to hospitality purposes, many of these contraventions are residential quarters that were converted to hotels, brothers etc. These constitute security challenges in the entire territory.

“Also identified is that many criminal elements disguise themselves and check into some of these hospitality services as guests and hide out before and after carrying out their nefarious activities.






“These property owners are operating hotels without following the appropriate procedure of acquiring all necessary approvals from the relevant agencies of the FCTA”.

The coordinator listed some of the conditions that must be met to operate such facilities as

All hospitality and tourism establishments such as hotels, guest inns and guest houses, must be registered and licensed with the Social Development Secretariat
Every hospitality operator must profile all guests and visitors with ’verifymynin’ App.

According to him, any operator willing to remain in business should use the one-week window for registration, adding that such operators must be responsible for their own internal security arrangements.

Warning operators to comply, the coordinator said: “We wish to reiterate that it is not business as usual. Those who have formed the habit of breaking extant laws of the FCT should know that there is no place for them to hide."



FI