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· Officials say banditry fuels street begging in Abuja
At least 217 street beggars and destitute were this weekend evacuated from the Federal Capital Territory to their states of origin in continuation of the administration’s plans of ridding the city of human and environmental nuisance.
The evacuees are said to be “untrainable” vagabonds and street boys who had deliberately refused to learn skills after their arrests and profiling at the FCT Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre, Bwari.
The Department of Social Welfare Services of the Social Development Secretariat disclosed that Katsina State had the largest consignment of destitute and beggars, followed by Kaduna, Kano, Zamfara and Jigawa states, respectively.
Recall that the administration had in October, 2022, announced plans to evacuate 1,000 beggars and destitute within the shortest possible time.
The latest repatriation, which was sanctioned by the FCT Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Aliyu, is aimed at checking the proliferation of street beggars in Abuja.
Director of the department, Sani Amar-Rabe, who disclosed this shortly after dispatching officials of the department to transport the destitute and beggars to their various states, noted that the issues of banditry and insurgency in the northern part of the country was responsible for the influx of destitute and street beggars into Abuja.
He stated that it was the responsibility of the FCTA to ensure that those evacuated from the streets were repatriated to their various states.
“We are here in respect of repatriation of the apprehended destitute, street beggars, street boys and vagabonds who were profiled, their health challenges were equally attended.
“Some of them showed no interest in learning vocational skills. They only showed interest to be out and about and have the liberty to continue in their destitution.
“But those who have good mindset, embraced skills acquisition for empowerment have been enrolled in different skills acquisition programmes here at the centre.
“We don’t have many; they are just 217 beggars and street boys that are to be repatriated, mostly to Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Jigawa, Kano, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states.
“And this time around we have some from Abia, Imo and Delta states.”
Amar-Rabe revealed that the FCT Minister of State had been in contact with some of the state governments through their liaison offices to ensure that the affected states were more responsive in addressing and managing the repatriated destitute and beggars.
“What we noticed from some of the destitute and beggars as well is that they consider the FCT safer and economically viable, especially those of the North West and the North East.
“So, people from these zones move to Abuja for survival and some of them, we discovered that begging and destitution has become an attitude to them.
“The street boys that constitute menace and defaced the Federal Capital City, some of whom at a particular point in time, manifest into another threat to the security of the residents especially those that do sleep under bridges claiming to be destitute but most of them are criminals.”
The director called on the FCT residents, to desist from giving alms and charity to the street beggars “because it is encouraging them to continue to remain on the streets and constitute nuisance to the city.”
“We have been on that advocacy through different media and we are appealing to the media both print and electronics, to continue to enlighten the public about the negative impact of patronising street beggars.
“We have clusters of Persons with Disabilities in KaronMajigi Community on the airport road and we have many orphanages, anybody who wish to donate can go to such places and give charity.
“Also, in Yangoji, Kwali Area Council, by the roadside, there is Alheri Special Village, the village is mainly for persons affected with leprosy and their family.
“It is a very large cluster with a very large population of humans who are indigents and deserve such charity.”
Earlier, the principal, FCT Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre, Bwari, Malam Bala Dantsoho, decried the proliferation of street baggers and destitute in the FCT.
He urged state governments to be more proactive in tackling destitution.
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