No
fewer than 70 beggars and the homeless were on Wednesday dumped at the Upper
Iweka Bridge, Onitsha, Anambra State.
Agents
of the Lagos State Government reportedly brought the destitute to Onitsha.
The
destitute told journalists that they were dumped about 3am at Upper Iweka after
being detained in Ikorodu, Lagos, for over six months for alleged wandering and
other minor offences by the Lagos State Kick Against Indiscipline officials.
The
destitute said they were brought to Onitsha in four buses, escorted by riot
policemen.
One
of them, Mr. Osondu Mbuto, from Ohaozara in Ebonyi State and a petty trader in
Lagos, said he was arrested by the Lagos State Government officials while going
to his shop on December 18, 2012.
Mbuto
added that the Lagos State Government officials were in company with some
policemen.
The
Chairman of Nigeria Red Cross Society in the South-East, Dr. Peter Katchy,
described the action of the Lagos State officials as condemnable.
He
said, “It’s very deplorable; it’s very disheartening that a state in the
Federal Republic of Nigeria will bundle people, who are not even indigenes of
Anambra State, and dump them under the flyover at Upper Iweka in Onitsha.
“Many
of the people, we have interviewed are not indigenes of Anambra State. Some of
them are from Ebonyi State; some are from Imo State among other states.
“It
is an insult to Anambra State. We shall draw the attention of the governor of
Anambra State to ask the reason for such an invasion of his territory.
“We
will find out why Lagos State should invade Anambra State territory; and why
Lagos State should dump people here and leave them helpless.
“We
are here on humanitarian purposes and in response to an emergency. From
what we discovered here, this is a human emergency and a human callousness.”
Katchy,
however, promised that the society would move the destitute to the Anambra
State Social Welfare Centre in Onitsha South Local Government for
rehabilitation.
The
Lagos State Government had dumped another set of beggars at Upper Iweka late
last year.
Calls
made to the mobile phone of the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Mr.
Lateef Ibirogba, for his reaction, did not go through.
He
also did not respond to a text message sent to him by one of our
correspondents.
Source: PUNCH
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