The Anambra State Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, has initiated a crackdown on syndicates exploiting children for alms begging in Awka, the state capital, and its surrounding areas.
According to The PUNCH, operatives from the Awka Capital Development Authority, on Tuesday night, conducted a raid at Aroma Junction in Awka and nearby areas, leading to the arrest of no fewer than 16 child beggars and adults.
The operation, orchestrated in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs, aimed to remove children from the streets.
The raid caused a stir in the area, with some street children fleeing at the sight of the enforcement team, while others resisted arrest.
However, they were eventually overpowered, taken into custody, and transported in waiting vehicles.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, emphasized that the operation will continue across Awka to eliminate the presence of children being used by syndicates for begging.
Obinabo expressed deep concern over the fact that school-age children are being deprived of their right to education and are instead being exploited as beggars and petty criminals by unscrupulous individuals.
She noted that the 16 children apprehended during the raid have been handed over to the State’s Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra Brigade for further tracing of their parents and guardians.
Obinabo stated, “This is happening despite Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s provision of free basic education in the state.
“This development has become a worrisome one for us as a government. It is also of great concern to us that most of these children are not from Anambra State.
“We have therefore decided that this will no longer continue. For these children we picked up, we are going to trace their parents and find out why they are being used for begging.
“It is also a warning to parents to endeavor to give birth to only the number of children they can take care of, to avoid deploying them for these nefarious activities.”
The Managing Director of ACTDA, Ossy Onuko, explained that street beggars and other miscreants had been repeatedly warned, through both conventional and social media channels, to leave the city, but they had failed to comply.
He added, “Anambra Government is determined to identify and prosecute the parents, guardians, and syndicates behind the exploitation of these children.
“The raid is part of an ongoing effort to rid the area, which is a key governmental zone, as well as other parts of the Awka Capital Territory, of beggars and other miscreants.
“We cannot be talking of creating a liveable and prosperous homeland when we have all these people littering the place.
“If we fail to catch these children now, they may grow up to become a menace to their parents using them for this venture and the society at large. That is why we are acting fast.”
