Street beggars flee Kaduna in wake of ban

Beggars, mostly non-indigenes are fleeing the state following the recent ban on street begging by Kaduna state government, Daily Trust has gathered. The ban follows Tuesday morning’s explosion in Zaria that killed nearly 25 people. In its wake, beggars have been seen by the hundreds relocating to places where they can practice their trade undisturbed. […]

Beggars, mostly non-indigenes are fleeing the state following the recent ban on street begging by Kaduna state government, Daily Trust has gathered.

The ban follows Tuesday morning’s explosion in Zaria that killed nearly 25 people.

In its wake, beggars have been seen by the hundreds relocating to places where they can practice their trade undisturbed.

When our correspondent visited the beggar’s colony located along Kano Road new extension which serves as residential areas for the beggars on Thursday, three Toyota Hiace vehicles were seen loading the beggars most of whom were the crippled and blind.

The driver who did not want his name mention told our correspondent that the vehicles were heading to Dambatta in Kano state.

Our correspondent also gathered that four vehicles had already left for Zamfara and Sokoto states transporting beggars from those states back.

One of the beggars seen trying to board one of the vehicles, Muhammad Ali said he was returning to his villages adding that, “begging is my only means of livelihood.”

“I have no other means of livelihood other than begging, so now that the Kaduna state government has said that we should not beg on the streets, how then do I get food to eat; that is why we and the other beggars who have lived in this house for the past 30 years decided to leave back to our villages,” Muhammad said.

The chief of the disabled at the colony, Abdullahi Ismail said, “I must confess to you that I am not surprised about the ban by the governor because when he visited us during his campaign, he informed us that if he becomes the governor of the state he will ban begging.”

He however expressed concern over the fact that no provision has been made by the state government for the disabled noting that if the government can provide means of livelihood for beggars, it will be good for the state as they too are ashamed of begging and are force into it.

“We are doing our own part of the agreement by sending away beggars who are not from Kaduna State then we will submit the list of disable from Kaduna state to the governor and if he refused to fulfill his part of the agreement, we are going to embarked on protest.

“I however want to call on our members to respect the government’s law and stop street begging as we are doing everything possible to see that the government provides us with means of livelihoods.

“I also want to use this opportunity to call on the state government not to only focus on disable beggars but on people who are strong and health. Go to front of bank, big restaurants and shopping mall they are there,  the government should go after them and not only our people,” he said.