The Oyo State Government has evacuated destitutes and street beggars roaming key areas in Ibadan metropolis to the internally displaced and destitute home in the Akinyele Local Government Area for proper profiling, care and rehabilitation.

The state’s commissioner for information, Dotun Oyelade, in a statement on Thursday said the joint clearance and enforcement operation was conducted on Wednesday.

The commissioner said the exercise was led by the Oyo State Rule of Law Enforcement Authority (OYRLEA), alongside the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the Nigeria Police Force, the Amotekun Corps and the Environmental Task Force.

Mr Oyelade said scores of destitutes and beggars were apprehended at Beere, Mapo and Oja’ba access routes and relocated to the state’s rehabilitation centre in Akinyele, Ibadan.

“During the exercise, scores of destitutes and beggars constituting environmental and public order impediments were apprehended. The individuals, who filled up two high-capacity buses, were transported to the Internally Displaced and Destitute Home in Akinyele Local Government Area for proper profiling, care, and rehabilitation,” the statement said.

According to statement, the chairperson of OYRLEA, Aderonke Aderemi, emphasised the state government’s stance against indiscriminate street begging and the illegally encroachment of public spaces. 

Mrs Aderemi said the presence and activities of destitutes and beggars on major roads and walkways in Ibadan metropolis posed serious environmental challenges, obstruct free movement and compromise public safety and hygiene.

She noted that a clean and secure environment was a cornerstone of the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration.

She admonished members of the public to desist from encouraging street begging, but rather cooperate with enforcement agencies in maintaining orderliness across the state.

The state government assured that the exercise would be sustained to ensure that Ibadan and other parts of the state remain clean and conducive for residents, visitors and business operators.