16th August, 2012
The Special Court in Alausa, Ikeja in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria has sent three female beggars to jail for begging in unauthorised places.
One of the convicts is 20-year old Shadia Nasiru who was caught begging with three hired children in Maryland area of Lagos. The others are Binta Sanni, 46, and Aisha Isala, 42.
Officials of the Lagos State Rescue Unit and Rehabilitation Department, Office of Youth and Social Development had seen the three women begging in Maryland and arrested them.
They were arraigned at the Special Court in Alausa where they were found guilty and sentenced to one month imprisonment each.
A three-count charge was slammed on the women in the case in which the Attorney General of Lagos State was the prosecutor.
The women were charged with using babies to beg for alms on 11 August, 2012, an offence contrary to section 166 (1) of the Criminal Code and punishable under section 166 (2).
They were also charged with unlawful obstruction of a staff of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Social Development, an act punishable under the Environmental Sanitation Law of Lagos State.
The last count charge was that they unlawfully received money and unauthorised gifts from persons.
After finding them guilty, the magistrate sentenced them to one month imprisonment with an option of N10,000 fine each.
The three kids rescued were kept under the custody of the state government.
Recently, a 40-year old woman was arrested and sentenced to three months imprisonment for begging for alms with five children in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
The woman, Jemilat Oseni from Osun State, was arrested at Seme Border with five children begging for alms by officials of the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit.
She was arraigned at the Special Offences Court in Alausa, Ikeja, for illegally being in possession of children not hers to beg for alms and for violating the rights of the children.
The age of the children range between nine months and 11 years. Two of the children belong to Mrs. Rainat Ado and Mrs. Zainab Abubakar. Two of the remaining children were her grandchildren while the 11-year old child is her own child.
According to the women whose children were hired for begging, Oseni told them that she wanted to use the children to smuggle some goods from Benin Republic, saying that with the children with her, custom officers would have pity and allow her to go.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga