Anambra’s latest action against alms-begging syndicates results in the arrest of 30 children used for begging.
In Awka, the capital city, the Anambra State Government has initiated a campaign to crack down on gangs that employ youngsters for begging purposes.
On Tuesday evening, the Awka Capital Development Authority (ACTDA) and Ministry of Women Affairs collaborated to conduct an operation that resulted in apprehending roughly 30 individuals engaged in child begging activities, including both minors and adults.
For a significant amount of time, the flyover bridge located at Aroma junction has been utilized as a hub for child beggars, who are coerced by illegal organizations to solicit handouts.
According to residents interviewed by Obasanjonew.com, the children not only create an unpleasant sight as they beg for money during school hours but also behave in a disruptive manner by frequently stealing from community members.
According to a local resident, whenever charitable groups arrive to distribute food in the area, they create an unruly atmosphere. To make matters worse, some of these individuals even engage in theft and steal mobile phones and other valuable belongings from unsuspecting members of the organisations.
Read Also: Government of Borno prohibits street begging, wandering around in Maiduguri
According to a traffic warden in the vicinity, individuals can often be observed scaling the flyover and leaping from it onto lower ground. This group of people causes disruptions on-site by engaging in various forms of misconduct such as theft amongst themselves or bystanders, along with physical altercations.
Mrs Ify Obinabo, the Commissioner for Women’s Affairs stated that their intention in apprehending these children is not to harm them but rather to employ them as a means of uncovering the groups responsible for bringing them here solely for begging purposes.
We are aware that Anambra has a minimal number of out-of-school children, and we cannot tolerate their exploitation by syndicates on the streets.
Assistance from them will enable us to track down the syndicates responsible, who will subsequently be apprehended by law enforcement.
As a means of rescuing children from the streets, Mr. Ossy Onuko – the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ACTDA – expressed that planning for this operation was carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs.
It proved to be a challenging struggle for the enforcement team to apprehend the street kids who hastily scattered as soon as they appeared, with several of them even resisting. Nevertheless, despite these obstacles, all were eventually gathered together and transported away in awaiting vehicles.
According to Obinabo, the mission will persist across Awka’s entirety in order to eliminate children exploited by syndicates for begging purposes.
