Oluawtosin Lamidi
The Lagos State Government has lamented the increasing number of abandoned children in the state yearly just as it rescued 290 abandoned children and 926 beggars, destitute and mentally challenged persons across the state.
Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuff, disclosed the statistics yesterday at the 2017 ministerial press briefing held in commemoration of the second year of the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, held at the Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.
Akinbile-Yusuff, stated that the children were rescued from the streets between January 2016 and in the first quarter of this year.
According to him, 290 abandoned Children were rescued during the period under review. This figure is higher than the corresponding figure of 149 children that were rescued across the state in 2015.
The commissioner disclosed that the number of abandoned babies include 106 males and 131 females.
She stated that within the first quarter of this year, 53 children, who were abandoned by their parents, have been rescued from the streets of Lagos.
On beggars, Akinbile-Yusuff said: “During the period under review, a total of 926 beggars, destitute and mentally challenged people were rescued off the streets of Lagos while 263 rehabilitees were released to their relations for re-integration.”
Lamenting over influx of beggers into the state, the commissioner argued that the state rehabilitation and Training Centre, Majidun in Ikorodu established to accommodate 500 beggars has been over crowded.
She said: “Though (the facility was) built with a capacity of 500 rehabilitees, the centre presently has a population of 980 rehabilitees.”
Her words, “Out of a total of 33 trainees, 13 are undergoing vocational training, 10 are being taken through detoxification while the remaining 10 have been released to their relatives.”
Also, 150 reported cases of sexual abuse and physical abuse were treated in 2016 by the state government.
