No fewer than 144 people have been arrested across Lagos State for allegedly engaging in street begging.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this in a post shared on his verified X handle on Wednesday.
“A total of 144 beggars across Lagos State had been arrested as of 2:00 p.m. today (Wednesday),” he wrote.
Earlier on Wednesday, Wahab announced that 45 people, including adults and children, were arrested during separate enforcement operations targeting street begging in the Oshodi, Agege, and CMS areas of Lagos.
He said 22 beggars, comprising adults and a few teenagers, were arrested during an operation in Oshodi and Agege.
He added that another 23 people, made up of 14 adults and nine children, were apprehended at CMS.
“Earlier today, in a separate enforcement operation, our team apprehended 22 beggars at Oshodi and Agege, comprising adults and a few teenagers.
“Additionally, 14 adults and nine children were apprehended at CMS,” Wahab stated.
NewsWatch Metro reports that street begging is illegal in Lagos State. It is also an offence to give alms to beggars on major highways.
In previous warnings published by The NewsWatch, the state government repeatedly advised residents to channel their donations through religious bodies or charity organisations, warning that failure to comply constituted an offence.
Explaining Wednesday’s operation in an interview with NewsWatch Metro, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Kunle Adeshina, said the arrests would not be a one-time exercise.
“I’ll call it routine. It is part of our efforts to enforce discipline and maintain order in the state.
“I think it is about ensuring that our streets and public spaces remain safe and clean. Sometimes people ask why we don’t arrest beggars, but we are doing this to ensure that our overhead and pedestrian bridges are safe.
“It is all connected. Some of the people who occupy pedestrian bridges sometimes attack innocent citizens at night.
“They are the same people who stay on road medians and public spaces begging for money. So, this is a continuous effort,” he said.
NewsWatch Metro reports that Lagos authorities have previously relied on provisions of the Criminal Law of Lagos State relating to public nuisance and disorderly conduct in enforcing restrictions on street begging.
The law specifically lists persons who beg or gather alms in public places as disorderly persons.
