Anambra Joint task force team, on Wednesday, raided the main gathering place for beggars in the State and detained over 50 of them, including out-of-school children hawking in the streets of Awka and the surrounding areas.
Areas raided by the team includes Arroma, Regina Ceali Junction, UNIZIK temporary site, Akwata Junction, Amawbia Bypass, Eke Awka market, among others.
According to the team which includes force from the State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare and Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra Brigade, the act was to sanitize the state, clear a path for free traffic, rescue out-of-school children, and advance the current administration’s clean, green, and sustainable megacity agenda.
Speaking to newsmen during the exercise, the commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, said the action was carried out because the ministry observed a daily increase rate of children hawkers within Awka and its environs.
Obinabo said, “This is evidence of child labour and exploitations that contradicted the Child’s Rights Law which the Anambra State is a signatory to.
“Anambra State Government frowns at child labour in any guise. Any child seen at school hours during weekdays would be taken and sent to school.”
Some of the beggars who were raided gave their names as Uju Obie, Afam Nweke, and Ifeoma Chukwu, and claimed that because of hardship and a lack of assistance, they were forced to beg in order to provide for their children and pleaded for assistance, saying that they would quit begging if they get assistance to enable them start up some businesses so as to fend for themselves.