Kwara moves to repatriate street beggars

The Kwara State Government has evacuated 94 street beggars from various parts of Ilorin, the state capital, with plans to prosecute and repatriate them after proper profiling. The beggars, made up of 43 females and 51 males, were arrested during a coordinated operation led by the Commissioner for Social Welfare and Development, Dr Mariam Nnafatima […]

The Kwara State Government has evacuated 94 street beggars from various parts of Ilorin, the state capital, with plans to prosecute and repatriate them after proper profiling.

The beggars, made up of 43 females and 51 males, were arrested during a coordinated operation led by the Commissioner for Social Welfare and Development, Dr Mariam Nnafatima Imam.

The exercise covered locations such as Geri Alimi, Tanke Junction, Offa Garage, Tipper Garage, and Zango, among others.

It involved officers from the ministry, the National Correctional Service, and the Special Assistant to the Governor on Drug Abuse Prevention and Control, Haliru Olamilekan Mikail.

Speaking during the exercise, Dr Imam said the government had earlier carried out two similar repatriation efforts and warned that street begging would not be tolerated in the state.

“We’ve made a lot of jingles to sensitise the public that street begging is not allowed in Kwara State,” she said.

“We have a magistrate in the ministry who hands down sentences for one week or more, depending on the offence. For children, we care for them until their parents complete community service punishments.”

She added that the government often collaborates with the home states of the beggars before they are repatriated.

Dr Imam urged the public to stop giving alms to street beggars, noting that there are better and safer ways to help the needy.

“If you want to give alms, go to mosques, churches, orphanage homes or centres where people truly need assistance,” she advised.

On his part, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Drug Abuse, Prevention and Control, Haliru Mikail, said the exercise also aims to tackle security threats linked to some of the beggars.

“This is not just about street begging. Some of them are informants or involved in drug peddling. Others were brought there by people who use them for illicit activities,” he said.

Mikail added that the government had carried out sustained awareness campaigns on radio and social media.

Also speaking, Head of Non-Custodial Unit, Nigeria Correctional Service, Kwara State Command, Mr Adebayo Okunola, said the initiative is part of efforts to address social problems and ensure non-custodial sentencing in line with the Correctional Act 2019.

“The Act empowers us to assign community service punishments for non-criminal offences. After trial, the convicts can be sentenced to sweep gutters and other non-custodial tasks,” he said.

Okunola added that the Comptroller of the Service in the state, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, had directed full collaboration with the state government on the initiative.