Following the recent ban on street hawking and begging in Kaduna State by the state governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai after the bomb blasts that killed many in Zaria Tuesday, beggars in their hundreds yesterday fled the state capital to others areas where they could continue their activities.
Our correspondent who visited the beggars’ colony along Kano road new extension, which serves as residential area for them, reported that about three Toyota Hiace buses, one with registration number XX661 DKA, was seen loading the beggars, most of them crippled or blind.
Although efforts to take pictures of the vehicle met strong resistance, the driver of the vehicle, however, disclosed that they were on their way to Dambatta in Kano State.
One of the beggars who would not give his name said they were returning to their villages in Kano State. An eyewitness confirmed to our correspondent that four other vehicles loaded with some of the beggars had already departed to Zamfara and Sokoto states earlier.
One of their leaders, Alhaji Abdullahi Ismail, told our correspondent that they were not surprised at the pronouncement by the governor to ban begging in the state, because during his campaign visit to the colony he had informed them that if he became the governor of the state he would ban street begging.
He expressed worry, however, that no provision had been made by the state government for the disabled in the state.
“We are doing our own part of the agreement by sending away beggars who are not from Kaduna State, then we will submit the list of disabled people from Kaduna State to the governor and if he refuses to fulfilled his part of the agreement, we are going to embark on a protest.”
Leadership
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