Street Beggars Caught With Dollar Bill, Wads Of Naira In Kwara
- Authorities in Kwara State have intensified efforts to rid Ilorin of street beggars through a coordinated weekend operation
- About 40 individuals were evacuated from key locations, with officials uncovering foreign currency, large sums of cash, and repeat offenders among them
- The state government reiterated its commitment to enforcing the ban on street begging and urged residents to support formal charitable channels instead
Officials of the Kwara State Ministry of Social Welfare and Development, in collaboration with operatives of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), Kwara Command, continued their coordinated evacuation of street beggars in Ilorin over the weekend.
The exercise, which lasted several hours, saw the removal of approximately 40 beggars from various hotspots across the state capital.
Source: Facebook
Ilorin street beggars removed in coordinated sweep
The operation, which involved the Special Assistant to the Governor on Drug Abuse Prevention and Control, Mikail Aileru, targeted areas including Tipper Garage, Tank, Offa Garage and Geri Alimi Roundabout.
These locations were identified as major gathering points for street beggars.
During profiling and search procedures, officials discovered a US Dollar note on one of the beggars, Musa Mahmud, who claimed to be from Kano State. Mahmud was also found with over ₦18,000 in cash.
Another individual, Mallam Aliyu Buhari, also from Kano, was caught with more than ₦17,000. In a separate incident, one beggar was found carrying a sharp knife, which he claimed was used for slicing onions.
Authorities confirmed that seven of those evacuated, four women and three men, were repeat offenders who had previously been removed from the streets but returned despite prior warnings.
Kwara commissioner lauds progress in anti-begging campaign
The state Commissioner for Social Welfare and Development, Dr. Mariam Imam, expressed satisfaction with the progress of the initiative. She noted a significant drop in the number of beggars apprehended compared to previous operations.
“The number of those evacuated had drastically reduced from 94 arrested during the last time to less than 40,” she said.
Dr. Imam explained that the ministry was refining its approach as beggars continued to alter their tactics and locations to avoid detection.
She urged residents to refrain from giving alms directly to beggars and instead support religious organisations, orphanages and places of worship. She reiterated that street begging had been officially banned in Kwara State.
Correctional service vows punitive measures for repeat offenders
Speaking to journalists, Assistant Controller of Prisons (ACP) Adebayo Okunola, Head of the Non-Custodian Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Kwara Command, stated that punitive measures would be enforced to deter future violations.
“We will make sure that they clean the streets, they will sweep the streets so that they will know that there is dignity in labour,” Okunola said.
Mikail Aileru added that the exercise was aimed at sanitising Ilorin and preventing criminal elements from using street begging as a cover for illicit activities.
Beggars plead for leniency amid cash recovery
Meanwhile, Musa Mahmud told Daily Trust that the Dollar bill found on him was given by a customer in Abuja. Other beggars expressed distress over their lack of alternative means of livelihood and appealed to the government for compassion.
Daily Trust reported that approximately ₦100,000 in cash was recovered from the beggars during the operation.
Source: UGC
Beggar reacts to FCT Minister's eviction notice
Legit.ng earlier reported that in a move to address what he called the “embarrassment” of rising numbers of beggars in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike has issued a directive to begin arresting beggars in the capital next week.
The announcement at the flag-off ceremony for new road construction in the Katampe District on Tuesday marked a firm stance by the former Rivers State governor to curb what he described as an alarming surge in street begging across the FCT.
Source: Legit.ng
