Following its alleged refusal to obey the presidential lockdown order on hotels due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ministerial task team, on Tuesday, sealed off Pacific Hotel and Guest Inn for hosting a party attended by many people.
Its Chairman, Ikharo Attah, who confirmed this to newsmen in Abuja, said customers, who were seen eating and drinking, were also allegedly arrested before the building was sealed off.
The sealing-off of the Guest Inn situated at Boundary road, Nyanya checkpoint, Abuja, was made possible through a court order granted by the FCT Magistrates’ Court sitting at Eagle Square.
The Chief Magistrate, Idayat Akanni, said the structure was sealed off for being in alleged breaches of presidential order of lockdown for a period of one week.
While addressing newsmen, however, the task team chairman said: “Last weekend, we got a report that an elaborate party was held at the Pacific Hotel and Guest Inn, Nyanya. We sent security operatives the next day to go there and check and when the team went there to check the next day, they saw large crowd of people in the bar eating and drinking.
“Some of them were arrested while other ran away. Those arrested were taken to mobile court and the mobile court judge fined them N5,000 and they engaged them in community service.
“We asked the manager why they disobeyed the lockdown order, he said it is beyond him, that it is the owner of the hotel that gave order the hotel must remain open and parties and other activities should be allowed to go on.
“So, we prayed the judge to grant us an order to seal off the hotel which the judge granted and we went there today and carried out the court order,” he stated.
