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| Officials evacuating beggars |
Opeyemi Afolashade, Kwara State Commissioner for Social Development, stated that the ministry evacuated 88 mentally challenged people and beggars from the streets of Ilorin.
The commissioner told journalists on Thursday in Ilorin that the exercise came following the ministry's general evacuation of the state capital.
The evacuation, which took place between November 24 and 30, she added, was between Post Office/Taiwo-Isale, Tipper garage, Challenge/Unity road, and Challenge/GRA axis.
According to Mrs. Afolashade, the evacuated people were brought to one of the ministry's rehabilitation institutions for treatment, prosecution, and probable repatriation.
She, on the other hand, regarded begging and roaming on the streets by those with mental illnesses as condemnable and socially unacceptable.
"The evacuation falls under the purview of the ministry."
"The menace of persistent street begging regarded as a viable business venture among some people, despite series of dialogue, media sensitisation, and numerous social interventions of the government to the physically challenged and vulnerable in the state is worrisome," the minister added.
She went on to say that Kwara would not tolerate street begging because it was against the law of the state; it represented laziness; and the roaming of mentally challenged people posed a severe danger to society.
She stressed that the exercise would be ongoing, and that the ministry would no longer take the threat lightly, urging all individuals involved in the conduct to stop or face the wrath of the law.
(NAN)