Disturbed by alleged increased involvement of beggars and others who disguise as beggars to rob motorists, the Lagos State government on Wednesday said it was commencing mass arrests of baggers with the aim of taking them out of the streets.
The government said it has discovered some faceless groups now transport children and adults regularly from other parts of the country to Lagos with the sole aim of doing “begging business”, adding that it would not fold its harm and allow the state to be a safe haven for the “business that demeans humanity and abuses innocent children.
Briefing journalists on the position of the government, the commissioner for youth and social development, Olusegun Dawodu, said a Special Team had been set up to tackle the menace.
“For the purpose of clarity on this issue, Section 157 (1) (b)and (e) of the Criminal Law 2015 States that nuisance is any person who prevents the public from having access to any part of a highway by an excessive and unreasonable use of it or does any unlawful act which causes inconveniences or damage to the public This is also well corroborated by Section 168 {1(b), (e)and (f) as well as Section 276 which apart from prohibiting begging goes further to prescribe a penalty of N15,000 for the first offence and for every subsequent offence to a time of 45,000 or imprisonment for three months or both, An offender under this Section may be arrested without warrant,” he said.
The special team, according to the commissioner, will commence in the next few days. The team will not only sanitise the society, but also restore the dignity of citizens who have been sent on to the streets for alms begging and hawking.
Flanked by Gbenga Omotoso, the commissioner for information and strategy, Hakeem Odumosu, the state Commissioner of Police, Dawodu said there was no going back on flushing out the beggars.
Read Also: Kano steps up implementation of ban on street hawking, begging
He emphasised that beggars on Lagos streets and roads constituted considerable nuisance to law-abiding citizens who are entitled to go about their businesses without any fear or hindrance.
“As a responsible and responsive government, the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration will not fold its arms and watch the state becomes a haven for beggars, it will take action to curb this menace.
Street begging is a social vice that we cannot afford to watch attain an uncontrollable level before we act. Otherwise, all the good plans and programmes to transform our state would be adversely affected. The same goes for street hawking,” he said.
