As part of measures to beef up security in the state, Kwara State Government has begun the arrest, prosecution and conviction of beggars and street urchins in Ilorin metropolis through a Mobile Court situated at the Ministry of Social Development Headquarters, Ilorin.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the Commissioner for Social Development, Hajia Mariam Nnafatima-Imam, recently led the ministry’s enforcement team in evacuating the beggars and street urchins across major streets in Ilorin, the state capital.

About 66 beggars and street urchins, including 28 Women, 17 Men and 21 Children 21 were arrested by the Ministry of Social Development team.

In a statement by Janet Bogunjoko, Press Secretary, Ministry of Social Development on Sunday, the beggars were evacuated from Post-Office, Taiwo Road, Asa-Dam Road, Gerin-Alimi, Garage Offa roundabout and Tanke areas in the Ilorin metropolis.

“The commissioner confirmed that they were caught indulging in begging at different locations in the Ilorin metropolis where they were earlier prohibited.”

She explained that “the evacuation of the beggars and street urchins became necessary because of their proliferation and threat to security in the state capital, adding that “the state government had to go tough and applied decisive punishment on them owing to their persistent proliferation despite various sensitisation campaigns and warnings undertaken by the state government through various platforms of communication.”

Nnafatima-Imam stressed that the evacuation would be a continuous exercise and emphasised that the state government would not hesitate to wield its long sticks on offenders, advising them to heed the government’s warning.

The commissioner said the beggars and street urchins were charged to the Mobile Court at the ministry where a Senior Magistrate, Jumoke Bello, delivered judgement and convicted them accordingly.

In her ruling, the Presiding Magistrate, Jumoke Bello, sentenced the offenders to perform community service punishment such as cleaning and hoeing in public places for a certain period in line with the provisions of the Kwara State Social Development Laws.

Five of the beggars were sentenced to one-month improvement at the federal correctional facilities in the state. (The PUNCH)

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