The Lagos State Government has responded to criticisms of its alleged deportation of no fewer than 67 Nigerian citizens from the state to the Upper Iweka Bridge in Onitsha, Anambra State, saying the exercise was continuous as it started the practice of expelling beggars and destitutes rescued from the streets back to their states of origin in a bid to rid the streets of beggars and the mentally-challenged.
Speaking to The Guardian, Special Adviser to Governor Raji Fashola on Youths and Social Development, Dr. Enitan Dolapo Badru, said so far, at least 1,708 beggars and destitute had been expelled from Lagos just as he noted that normal international standard requires the state to reunite them with their families.
“The end result is to reunite them back with their families. We are not repatriating them out of Lagos, we are reuniting them with their families because once we rescue them, we cannot as a government, hold a child under the age of 18 in custody without parental or guardian’s consent. We found out that a lot of children on the streets of Lagos come from outside the state thinking that Lagos is an Eldorado. It is unfortunate that many of them are underage and very vulnerable because they can be introduced to so many vices.
“When we rescue them, we try as much as possible to carry out social investigation to know where they actually come from and why they absconded in the first place. And this takes time, because most of them don’t usually tell the truth since they don’t want to go back home. Once we have them in our custody, we must take a Court Order to keep them since the law provides for that and we cannot keep them indefinitely, so we still need to send them back to their parents. And our practice is to get in touch with the social welfare services of their respective states, which would in turn get in touch with the families,” he said.
According to Badru, in the last one year, a total number of 3,114 beggars/destitute/mentally-challenged have been rescued in day and night operations with 87 per cent (2,695) of them taken to the Rehabilitation and Training Centre, Owutu, Ikorodu, where the state government has made provisions for facilities to help in turning their lives around, while the mentally-unstable are given medical attention.
The expelled Nigerian citizens were reportedly brought to Onitsha on Wednesday at about 3.00am in four buses, escorted by anti-riot policemen; a move that has generated widespread condemnation and outrage.
Meanwhile, one of the destitute, Mr. Osondu Mbuto, from Ohaozara in Ebonyi State and a petty trader in Lagos, who said he was arrested by the Lagos State Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) officials while going to his shop on December 18, 2012, told journalists that he was detained in Ikorodu, Lagos, for over six months for alleged wandering and other minor offences. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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So ABANDONING them at the DREADED UPPER IWEKA BRIDGE is REUNION? Uniting them with RITUALISTS, CREMINALS is the BEST U guys can do.
ReplyDeleteI hope U have also "REUNITE" the ONES at AGBARA with their FAMILIES in ZARIA BRIDGE-KADUNA STATE.
What about the sane TRADER? The time has COME, believe me it has COME!
Na wa o, I knew innocent people were gonna be involved! Uncle Fash abeg go easy on Igbos
ReplyDeleteLIAR.
ReplyDeleteXENOPHOBIC, TRIBALIST FUCKWAD.
Reuniting them to their faimly? you could have come up with a better excuse. u have really bitten more than u can chew. How can you dumb the at that place and at that odd hour and say u are reuniting them. you didn't even inform any of the autorities over there that you will be sending them over. you are truely wicked sir. Just continue with what you are doing and i can assure you that what goes around comes around. REUNITE INDEED!
ReplyDeleteAnd I was hoping he wld run for president come 2015...mcheeew!
ReplyDeleteU̶̲̥̅̊ neva reach.
Wow...so one now needs a Visa to enter another state in Nigeria.This is really interesting, I hope they will also provide Nigerians with sufficient evident to back up their claims that they reunited them with their families and that they will also reunite beggars and destitudes frm other tribes to their respective states and families . I will really like to know the provision of the law that granted them the power to depot to another state except the individual requested for transportation. Are we uniting Nigeria by our actions or helping disintegrate our beloved nations by our ignorance, illiteracy and stupidity. God Bless Nigeria
ReplyDeleteSo call REUNITED, the guy is doing the wrong work to the good people of our country and he will soon get his own REUNITE
ReplyDeletePlease can someone tell us how many destitute /beggars has been deported to northern States, or Yoruba States. this is ethnicity at it's peak. What has the Igbos done to other Nigerians. Why are we always at the receiving end? A lady said yesterday night on TVC that those deported don't have houses in Lagos. WHAT ABOUT THE AGBOROS /ALAYES under the Bridges in Lagos? You guys have not been able to convince anybody on this. It is mere hatred of the Igbos from northern and western Nigerian.
ReplyDeleteRubbish!!
ReplyDeleteThey are good in saying all sorts of rubbish. Simple thing, they have started relating it to Igbo race.
Perhaps you want them dieing in Lagos?
or
Won't you like reuniting with your lost folks?
Other states should do same.
Fash many thanks.
go to ladipo market and see what they are doing to igbos because they want a Yoruba man to rule the market, why all this marginalization
ReplyDeletethey should allow us to go for our Biafra, they refused and keep on marginalizing us. Igbo's wake up and let us go home we are greater than them enough is enough
ReplyDeleteWe opted out of your Nigerian in 1967; you people refused, you joined the Northerners in their quest to annihilate us. We survived your shameful annihilation attempt and built Hundreds of Trillions worth of business empires across Nigeria out of the 20 Pounds you gave us. We survived Metasina riot, we survived Reinhardt Bonke religious massacre, and we survived Sharia war and came out stronger and more resolute than ever. As if Boko Haram was not enough, you people are now repatriating us to Igbo land from the same county called Nigeria that you foist on Ndi-Igbo. What next have you got in store for us. …. Build a concentration camp and Gas Ndi-Igbo? Bring it on Ndi-Igbo will never crack.
ReplyDeleteGov Fash, this is sheer wickedness I so much respect. I am really disappointed at this. It really hurts when this kind of a thing comes from a Governor I so much respect.
ReplyDeletesorry Mr. Commissioner, this is just a very cheap lie.You would have come up with something more intelligent.
ReplyDeleteIGBOS BU ENYI NIGERIA, ALL THESE JEALOUSNESS AGAINST THE IGBOS WILL NEVER DO THAT FAILED COUNTRY CALLED NIGERIA ANY GOOD.
ReplyDeleteON ABURI I STAND!.
FASHOLA pls be very careful and don't let your advicer miss lead you. I'm very sure you have a very good ambition for this nation but with this that you introduced may jeopardise that ambition. Be very careful.
ReplyDeleteICHIE-BILLION! I nice one, if them like make them USE HITLER method in "PROCESSING" JEWS in GAS CHAMBERS & INCENERATOR, U guys(IGBOs) will continue to MULTIPLY like ANT. BLACK ISREALITE-JEHOVAH is with U ALL.
ReplyDeleteGas hola, you are a bloody stinking liar. I am not surprised. You are Muslim. Pretentious, deceiving liar
ReplyDelete