It’s Yellow Card For Street Beggars In Katsina State

Beggars on the streets of Katsina have bagged a yellow card and may soon be hauled off the streets of the state.

This is because an executive bill, seeking to prohibit beggars on the streets in the practice of their trade, has scaled second reading in the Katsina State House of Assembly.

The bill, which seeks  to complement the ongoing efforts by the state government at repatriating Almajiris to their home states as well as sanitising the Tsangaya system of education was first read before the assembly on June 30 by the Majority Leader, Alhaji Abubakar Abukur.

It was later presented to the assembly by Gov. Aminu Masari, before it eventually scaled the second reading during plenary today..

The majority leader, according to Vanguard report, said the bill, if passed, would help in addressing the menace of street beggars.

He explained that most of the children roaming the streets grew up to become threats to national security, adding that if the bill eventually became law, it would provide a four-year sentence for defaulters or an option of an N10,000 fine.

Abukur said that anyone found guilty for the second time would be taken to his/her country, state or local government of origin.

Reports have it that the bill scaled the second reading, following series of deliberations by the lawmakers during the plenary presided over by the Speaker, Alhaji Tasi’u Maigari.

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Maigari said that members of the assembly would continue to deliberate on the bill due to its importance to the development of the state.

Also, reports show that the bill was submitted to the Joint House Committee on Religious Affairs and Social Development, with a six-week deadline to present its report.

Street beggars have been known to constitute a lot of risk in the state and indeed nearby states.