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Beggars, Hawkers Protest Ban On Street Begging In Kaduna

Hundreds of physically challenged persons took to the streets in Kaduna State on Saturday to protest a law banning street begging in the state capital and … Continue reading Beggars, Hawkers Protest Ban On Street Begging In Kaduna


Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna, Commissioners, Cabinet

KadunaHundreds of physically challenged persons took to the streets in Kaduna State on Saturday to protest a law banning street begging in the state capital and environs by the State Government.

The beggars, comprising the blind, deaf, dumb, lepers, and people with disabilities, took their protest to the office of the Nigerian Union of Journalists located along Waff road to express their displeasure with the law.

The beggars said their grouse with the ban was centred on the State Government’s failure to address serious social issues that forced them into begging.

But the State Government said that the ban was put in place for the sake of safety of lives and property of the citizenry.

However, some street hawkers, who joined in the protest, vowed not to leave the streets until the government provided them an alternative means of survival.

Seven-day Ultimatum

The spokesman for the State Governor, Samuel Aruwan, said that the ban was to enhance security in the state, following a bomb explosion at Sabon Gari Local Government secretariat that killed 25 people and injured 32 on Tuesday.

Mr Aruwan also explained that the government had not reneged on its promise to empower persons with disabilities.

The spokesman for the Governor, however, appealed to the beggars to exercise patience until the measures were relaxed.

Although, the order prohibiting street begging and hawking in Kaduna has not been passed into law by the state’s House of Assembly, the beggars have, nevertheless, given the state Governor, Nasir El Rufai, a seven-day ultimatum to reverse the ban order or face a court action.

The association of disabled persons further called on the Kaduna State Government to consider provisions of right and opportunities recommended by the United Nations (UN), such as right to live, equality and non-discrimination among others.