5th August, 2016
The Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development monitoring team recently apprehended a woman soliciting alms with two infant babies suspected to be twins in the Costain area of the State.
Pharm. Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, the State Commissioner in charge of the Ministry, while speaking on the incident stated that the woman, Hadiza Umoru, who was apprehended by the team is from Minna Niger State, and was arreste during routine monitoring operations by the Monitoring Team attached to the Ministry, adding that “This is another example of the many heartless women who risk the safety of babies for pecuniary gain”.
The Commissioner disclosed that after the preliminary investigation, “it was discovered that the suspect is not the biological mother of the set of twins but Amina, her younger sister, whom she pays each time she uses the twins to beg for alms on the streets of Lagos.”
She, however, noted that all efforts made to get the biological mother of the twins have so far proved abortive as she is believed to have fled her residence for fear of being arrested and prosecuted for child trafficking by the government.
While reiterating the determination of the Ambode-led administration to fully implement the Child Rights Law and its commitment to eradicating street begging in the State, Akinbile-Yussuf averred that giving alms is a good gesture aimed at helping the needy as advocated by religious bodies but it should not be done on the streets.
In her words, “There is an established law in Lagos State; Section 168 of the criminal code of Lagos State 2015 as amended, prohibiting street begging. We don’t want anyone going on the street to beg. We have told people times without number that it is illegal to be begging on the streets of Lagos. And those who want to give should visit any of the established charity homes or go to government resettlement centers that exist across the State”.
The Commissioner, therefore, charged Lagosians to show more kindness to the needy in their immediate environment as a means of keeping them from the streets, stressing that this will go a long way in the implementation of the enacted law as well as support the State government’s commitment to drastically reduce or eliminate the nuisance.