Those who engage children and sick persons to beg for alms in Anambra State have been warned to desist from the act or face the wrath of the law.
Dr. Victoria Chikwelu, the Anambra Commissioner for Social Welfare, Children and Women Affairs, gave the warning on Friday in Awka in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria.
The commissioner decried the activities of those who use vulnerable persons to beg for alms, adding that it will not be tolerated.
Chikwelu said anyone caught using children and sick persons under any guise to solicit for alms, will be apprehended and prosecuted.
She lamented the indiscriminate use of children, the sick and other persons in need of medical attention for alms begging, which she noted compounds the medical and mental status of the victims.
The commissioner, however, advised any person that has a sick person should go to government hospital for treatment at a reasonable cost.
She also advised persons with disability to enroll in any of the government-owned homes for physically challenged persons.
The commissioner described the state government as child friendly and would stop at nothing to protect their rights.
She appealed to the public to report persons who engage in using children for alms begging to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Children and Women Affairs in Awka, or the nearest police station for prompt action.
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