As the ban on street begging takes effect in Kano, the government has threatened to arrest beggars and hand them over to wealthy people in their local councils.

This warning came from the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Zahra’u Muhammad-Umar, during an empowerment package’s presentation to the beneficiaries, in Kano, on Thursday.

The government said it empowered no fewer than 60 women and youths with different entrepreneurial skills, following the ban on street begging in the state.

“The government cannot do it alone. Anyone found will be taken to his or her local government for the wealthy individuals there to empower them,” Mrs. Muhammad-Umar warned.

On February 5, the government arrested 500 beggars and repatriated them to their various communities, following the ban on street begging in the state.

She said there was a need for women to be financially stable and help their families, adding that “some of the beneficiaries were picked from the street and under bridges.”

Mrs. Muhammad-Umar explained that this necessitated the decision to empower the women and other vulnerable people in the state living with a disability for them to fend for themselves and quit street begging.

The beneficiaries were given N10,000 each, in addition to sewing machines, soya beans, beans, millet, rice, freezers, small generating sets, groundnut oil, pestle and mortar, frying pan, flour, grinding machines, and second-hand clothes.

The commissioner explained that each of the beneficiaries got an empowerment package based on the type of business they were interested in.

She commended Governor Abdullahi Ganduje for supporting the beneficiaries.

Speaking during the event, the state’s First Lady, Hafsat Abdullahi, said, “We want a clean state, and we will not tolerate street begging.”

(NAN)