By Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Government on Sunday threatened to close down hotels, nightclubs, bars and restaurants in the state caught harbouring criminals, including those which harbour underage girls for immoral acts.
Commissioner for Border Peace and Internal Security, Stanley Okoro Emegha stated this in a statement in Abakaliki, the state capital.
He accused some of the hotel proprietors of aiding criminals by allowing them use their facilities as bases for criminal operations in the state.
“It has been observed that hoodlums have formed the habit of hanging out in hotels, restaurants and joints till late in the night, from where they usually take off to execute criminal plans and all forms of criminality within Abakaliki metropolis.
“Sometimes, the proprietors of these joints are privy to the nefarious activities of these hoodlums without exposing their identities to security agents for arrest and prosecution, notwithstanding the fact that the state government has been keeping close surveillance on these joints for some time now”.
“Consequently, the state government has perfected arrangements to seal the affected joints if the said proprietors who are assumed to be partners in crime with the hoodlums, fail to refrain from such reprehensible acts”.
The Commissioner also noted with dismay the increasing rate of immorality in many hotels and nightclubs in the state.
He alleged that minors and underage girls are allowed access to such places till late in the night.
“It has also been observed that some managers of nightclubs have shamelessly allowed some of their teeming customers to parade a retinue of minors and under-aged youths especially teenage girls below the age of 18 years, who usually indulge in all manners of immoral lifestyle, at awkward hours of the night.”
– Nation
