The Kano state Hisbah Board said it repatriated more than 700 beggars to their various states of origin since the exercise began last month.
The Director-General of the board, Alhaji Abba Sufi, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Wednesday.
Sufi said most of the affected beggars came from Benue, Jigawa, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger.
He explained that the board repatriated 22 people who had mental challenges to Niger Republic, adding that 22 others were taken to Dorayi Psychiatric Hospital, in Gwale local government area of the state.
“Those taken to Dorayi Psychiatric Hospital are Kano state indigenes. We decided to take them there in order to enable them get proper treatment and care,’’ he said.
According to him, the exercise will continue until when all beggars are returned to their states of origin and local government areas if they are from Kano State.
On the recently introduced empowerment programme for destitute, Sufi said the state government had concluded arrangements for the second phase of the programme.
“A total of 300 registered beggars will benefit from the second programme, which will soon be inaugurated by Gov. Rabi’u Kwankwaso,’’ he said. The Director-General said a total of 234 destitute benefitted from the first phase of the programme last month. NAN recalls that Kwankwaso signed the Street Begging Prohibition Bill into law in January, as part of efforts to discourage begging in the state. (NAN)
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