LG chairman seals hotel over bandit links

The Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area in Rivers State, Charles Wobodo, has ordered the permanent sealing of Augusta Hotel in Igwuruta, citing credible evidence that the facility was harbouring bandits responsible for a series of attacks on communities within the council area.

A team from the local government stormed the hotel and shut it down, with Wobodo announcing that the property would no longer be allowed to operate and that steps would be taken to confiscate it.

“Today, we have come here with all the witnesses, we have got full evidence that they harbour the bandits and kidnappers here. With all that evidence we have, this hotel is permanently sealed off,” the chairman said at the scene.

His Chief Press Secretary, Wariso Wariso, confirmed in a statement issued in Port Harcourt that the decision followed intelligence indicating the hotel had been sheltering criminal elements linked to ongoing violence in the area. Ikwerre LGA has recently witnessed attacks on several communities, including Ipo, Igwuruta and Igwuruta-Ali, attributed to bandits alleged to be herdsmen.

Wobodo directed the hotel owner to report immediately to security agencies and account for the identities of the alleged bandits found on the premises. He expressed disappointment that the owner had failed to obtain basic information about occupants, stressing that residents and property owners were expected to profile persons accommodated on their premises.

“We don’t say don’t give a house to people or accommodate people, but what we are saying is that you need to get simple information about the person you are giving your house to,” he said.

The chairman added that the council had been actively working to track down criminal elements operating within the local government.