Oyo State government has threatened to take over abandoned structures and properties across the state, declaring that the structures constitute security threats and hideouts to criminals.
The government however called on owners of such buildings to put them to use or risk the government taking them over.
The state Commissioner for Lands, Housing, Survey and Urban Development, Mr. William Akin-Funmilayo, gave the warning on Tuesday.
The commissioner gave the warning after inspecting a long-abandoned hotel, De Castle Inn, on Queen Elizabeth II Road, Total Garden-Gate Road, Ibadan.
Akin-Funmilayo decried the rate at which miscreants and hoodlums had been using abandoned buildings and other structures as hideouts.
He also warned that owners of such buildings who refuse to do the needful must be ready to forfeit them to the state.
The commissioner added that the government would make proper use of the structures for the benefit of all residents of the state.
Speaking shortly after the inspection tour of De Castle Inn, he said the government got information from the public and security agencies that the structure had been constituting a security threat to the environment, as criminals and hoodlums usually hid there.
The security guards on duty, who addressed the Commissioner, said the De Castle Inn had been abandoned for over 10 years, thus becoming a haven for men of the underworld.
The security guards manning the property also claimed that the owner of the hotel is out of the country.
One of them said: “The structure has been abandoned for about seven to 10 years. Hoodlums and miscreants do come here.
“I have been attacked here. The miscreants even removed some house fittings, equipment, and other accessories.”
The Commissioner said the owner of the hotel would be contacted to make use of the structure immediately or it would become a property of the state government.
“I got information from the public and security agencies that this abandoned building is constituting a security threat to this environment and that, in the night, criminals and hoodlums usually hide there.
“They go on the streets to snatch telephones, bags and other valuables from passers-by.
“Even additionally, it has become a home for illicit drug users whereby they trade in the illicit drugs as well as smoking different kinds of things.
“We are here to confirm what we heard, which we have seen and this place has been abandoned for the past 10 to 13 years.
“We are here to ensure the safety of the people living in this environment. So, we have seen for ourselves that this is completely an abandoned building.
“The government will work within the ambit of the law to take possession of the building to stop what is constituting a threat.
“We all remember the unfortunate incident that happened at Bodija. Nobody believed such a thing could happen over there.
“If the owner doesn’t want the building [De Castle Inn] anymore, he should surrender it to the government,” the commissioner told journalists after the inspection.
“The ultimatum we issued is immediate. As I am talking now, the owner should immediately put the building up for what it is meant for or else he or she will forfeit it.
“The state government will take over the building to prevent a threat to the security of lives and property of people living in this vicinity.
“If he is still interested in the building, he or she should put it to use immediately. Nobody can tell what will happen between now and tomorrow, so he should act with immediate effect.
“Official correspondence will be sent to the owner of the building. He or she should put the building to what use it was meant for. If he refuses, the government will take it over and use it in the best interest of Oyo State people.
“I equally will extend this message to other owners of abandoned properties in the state. If you have properties that have been abandoned, kindly put them to the primary use they are meant for or else the government will take them over.
“We cannot allow buildings not occupied or maintained to be left without government intervention,” he said.
