KANO GOVT ARRESTS 1,429 BEGGARS

The Kano State Hisbah Board arrested 1 , 429 beggars for violating the law banning street begging , between January and August , according to Malam Dahiru Muhammed , an official of the board .

Muhammed , who is specifically attached to the board ’ s Anti- Begging Unit, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Kano that 420 of those arrested were children , while 1 , 009 were adults.

He said that the arrests were carried out around Lodge Road, Magwan Junction , Kwari, Katsina Road and Wapa , all in Kano metropolis .

A further breakdown showed that 860 of them were from Kano city , with 551 coming from Jigawa , Kaduna , Katsina and Niger States , while 18 were from Chad Republic .

He said that the board released beggars that were first offenders and those suffering from mental disorder , while others from neighbouring states were taken to their respective local government areas .

Muhammed said that the board had concluded plans to train the beggars on various skills acquisition so as to engage them in productive ventures and keep them off the streets .