Street beggars takes over ilorin, resident laments. By; Ibiwoye ifeoluwapo Ayomide

 Street beggars takes over ilorin, resident laments.

By; Ibiwoye ifeoluwapo Ayomide

Residents of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, decried about increase in the number of the beggars on the streets.

The beggars include able-bodied youth, artisans, old women, pregnant women, civil servants and children who lurk around commercial centres in the city to survive the economic hardship in the country.

Investigations revealed that these beggars, including ‘corporately dressed’ people, now hang around strategic places in the metropolis, especially ATM points, to beg for financial assistance.

A trader at the open market at Yoruba Road, Tayo Ibikunle, disclosed that the menace of begging needs to be addressed urgently by the government before it gets out of hand.

“In the past, those we used to see around the market and by the roadside were physically challenged beggars but these days, there are many able bodied men and women begging people for money. The situation is pathetic,” she said.

Further more, a postgraduate student of the University of Ilorin, Elufowora Lateef, also lamented about the situation, calling on government at all levels to find lasting solution to the economic situation in the country.