The Kwara State Government has clamped down on street beggars in Ilorin, the state capital.
The Commissioner for Social Development, Opeyemi Oluwakemi Afolashade, made the declaration during an evacuation exercise carried out across the Ilorin metropolis on Wednesday.
Forty-six beggars were evacuated at the various strategic points of the state capital where the exercise was carried out.
Afolashade expressed dissatisfaction at the incessant non-compliance of some individuals who take begging as a daily lucrative venture, describing the act as sabotage against the government’s resolve to make the state habitable and give it a gleam of attraction.
Addressing the audience at the spots of the exercise, the commissioner disclosed: “The activities of roadside beggars over time have not only been causing the state huge social and environmental deface, but also posed threats to the security of the lives of inhabitants within the state.
“Some of this set of people can not overtly be regarded as innocent and vulnerable, as many unscrupulous individuals among them often hide under the disguise of roadside begging to perpetrate evil,” she added.
“It is yet a dismay to us today, with the zealous efforts of our team, that some daggers, knives and charms were recovered from these people (beggars),” Afolashade further revealed.
The evacuation exercise was commended by residents, who were at the various scenes of the exercise, urging the state government not to renege on its quest to fully eradicate the menace of street begging in the state.
The evacuation exercise was carried out in several places, including from the G.R.A. axis to Babatunde Idiagbon Flyover, Tanke; Offa motorpark, Geri Alimi, Odoota; and some parts of the Baba Ode-Dangote area, where many street beggars reside.
No fewer than 46 beggars were evacuated, and taken to the ministry’s facility for correction and onward repatriation, while their children were taken to the Children’s Reception Centre for immediate care and protection