By Mosope Kehinde
Oyo State House of Assembly, OYHA, has urged the Executive arm in the state to implement a standardized guest registration process, including valid identification verification and the maintenance of up-to-date guest logs in hotels, restaurants and guest houses.
This formed part of the resolutions of the House after deliberation on a motion sponsored by the lawmaker representing Oluyole state constituency, Mr. Waheed Akintayo.
Presenting the motion at a plenary presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Abiodun Fadeyi, Mr. Akintayo revealed that hotels are increasingly being used by fraudsters, commonly known as “Yahoo Boys”, who conduct cybercrime and sextortion schemes within the establishment.
“Investigation has shown that some fraudsters deliberately reside in hotels for extended periods to operate undetected. These criminals exploit the anonymity of hotels, where poor guest registration and monitoring systems allow them to evade law enforcement”, he explained.
Mr. Akintayo noted that a significant number of hotels and guest houses in Ibadan and across Oyo state are not duly registered with the government, despite the rapid expansion of the hospitality sector.
He added that the lack of adequate registration makes it difficult for regulatory agencies to track operations, enforce security standards and compliance with necessary regulations.
The House has, however, directed its Standing Committee on Security and Strategies and its counterpart from Culture and Tourism to engage all relevant stakeholders including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Oyo State Hotels Owners Association and deliberate on the measures to put in place in curbing the menace of insecurity in hotels and guest houses across the state.
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