THE GHANA Tourist Board has initiated moves to close down a number of hotels and Guest Houses in the Northern regional capital cited in DAILY GUIDE’S recent exposé for allegedly being used as prostitution outlets.

According to the Northern Regional Manager of the Board, William Ayambire, the affected hotels would have their licenses of operations withdrawn since their actions contravened Tourist Board Regulations.

“Prostitution in hotels is frowned upon by my outfit and I think it is time to take drastic measures in clamping down the menace in the region,” he noted.

Mr. Ayambire, who was speaking to DAILY GUIDE, promised to collaborate with the reporter in unearthing the hotels engaged in the prostitution, explaining that if the act was allowed to continue, it had the potential of threatening the tourism industry in the region.

The action of his outfit if taken, he noted, would serve as a deterrent to managers of other hotels who allow their premises to be used as prostitution joints.

The Regional Manager also hinted of collaboration with the police to raid some of the notable joints, Guest Houses and hotels where prostitutes patronise.

Mr. Ayambire issued a stern warning to those in the hospitality industry to be wary since he was soon going to embark on an exercise to flush out prostitution from the region.

Meanwhile religious leaders including some Islamic scholars have condemned the notoriety of the act in the region, stating that Islam frowned against such practice, stating that all upright thinking persons in the region must join hands in condemning it.

According to a number of them, who called personally into the offices of DAILY GUIDE in Tamale to have a look at the album, it was imperative for parents to keep an eye on their wards and discipline them when they go wayward.

“It is really disheartening what our beloved metropolis is turning into but all should be blamed on the blind copying of foreign culture,” the Chief of Zongo Sheihu Dalhu Abdul-Mumin noted.

He reiterated the need for the region to retrace its cultural roots to restore moral values in the society in order to do away with these negative practices that seem to be gaining roots in the region.

Sheihu Dalhu Abdul-Mumin was particularly happy DAILY GUIDE had brought the issue into public domain, indicating it was a mark of good journalism.

But contrary to reports that a notorious brothel within the metropolis which also serves as a hideout for criminals was being deserted, DAILY GUIDE undercover investigations revealed occupants were engaged in brisk business.

The youth of the metropolis, in the past, launched series of attacks on occupants, mainly women between the ages of 18-50 years engaged in prostitution, and vowed to evacuate them from the place.

The brothel which is currently in a dilapidated state, located near the Victory cinema in the central business district, was now being occupied by these prostitutes.

Initially young girls between the ages of 13 and 25 were using the about 25-room compound house in the sex trade until they were severely beaten by some unknown group of young men who vowed to end the trade in the regional capital.

The prostitutes for fear of another attack fled the area but have since returned and are now operating on shifts in some notable hotels and restaurants within the metropolis.

It would be recalled that DAILY GUIDE undercover investigations revealed the incidence of pornography in the Northern regional capital which involved some indigenes aged between 18 and 25.

The paper took into its possession a 38-photo album of known nude ladies whose pictures are circulating in a number of hotels within the Tamale metropolis in their bid to attract unsuspecting clients.

It was established that the said ladies are commercial sex workers operating under the guise of being businesswomen in the city who are always seen hovering around some notable hotels.

The album with various poses of the nude girls showcasing their private parts has telephone numbers written below them.

According to DAILY GUIDE’S investigations, the ladies have been identified as Awula, Hiba, Latifa, and Aisha whose parents are believed to be of high standing in society.

The pictures have however found their way into the public domain and being circulated on mobile phones and other social media networks which has resulted in two of the ladies fleeing from Tamale.

An anonymous source at one of the hotels told DAILY GUIDE that the album was always shown to customers who opted for the services of commercial sex workers.

Such clients after viewing called for the services of the women who reportedly charge between GH¢150 to GH¢200 for services rendered.

According to the source, it has been noted that the prostitutes only rendered services to expatriates and sometimes persons they perceived to be wealthy.

Prominent Moslem leaders and scholars have condemned the practice in the region and called on the authorities to track down the said girls, claiming their conduct might bring about curses on the entire region.

This also comes in the wake of reports of the proliferation of a number of prostitution camps in Tamale despite reports on the increasing infection rate of the deadly HIV/AIDS.