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Kwara State Commissioner for Social Development, Afolashade Opeyemi, said the state government has removed beggars who allegedly work with criminals from the Ilorin metropolis.
Opeyemi said 158 beggars have been mopped up across the state and sent back to their states of origin.
According to her, most of the beggars were found with weapons such as guns, daggers, and charms.
The commissioner disclosed this on Monday, May 27, 2024, during an inter-ministerial press briefing organised to publicise the scorecard of the one-year administration of the State Governor, AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq’s second term.
Opeyemi said the beggars found with deadly weapons were mostly from Bauchi, Kano, and other northern states, adding that they constitute a great social menace to Ilorin, the state capital.
“Our discovery is a confirmation that criminals keep their guns and other weapons with the so-called beggars.
“We have evacuated 158 young beggars from the streets, 88 were raided the first time while another 70 were later added. They have since been repatriated to their states,” the commissioner said.
She said the state government had on several occasions made efforts to get rid of the beggars but “they are just too stubborn”.
The commissioner further said the Kwara State Government has treated five lunatics threatening the peace of the Ilorin metropolis at a psychiatric home in the Olorunda area of the state and discharged them after due certification of their mental stability.
According to her, they have also been repatriated to their respective states.