At least 66 destitutes and street beggars have been arrested and remanded by the Kwara State government for violating the ban on street begging, .

They include 21 children, 28 women and 17 men, according to a credible source in the Ministry of Social Welfare Development in Ilorin on Friday.

They were arrested along Post Office, Sulu Gambari road, Ibrahim Taiwo road, Asa Dam road, Geri Alimi roundabout, Offa Motor park and Tanke areas of Ilorin metropolis.

The exercise is part of the crusade to rid the state of miscreants and street begging by the state government.

They were sentenced by a senior majistrate, Jumoke Bello, following their arraignment after the raid on major streets of the state capital, led by the state Commissioner for Social Welfare and Development, Dr Mariam Nna Fatimoh, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Correctional Service and the state Ministry of Justice on Tuesday.

The Commissioner decried the anti-social behaviors of the destitutes and the street beggars in Ilorin and the government reservation areas.

She disclosed that the beggars constitute a threat to the security of the state as they often breach environmental laws.

Dr Mariam, accused them of being “informants to kidnappers, armed robbers and assassins” hence, the decision by the state government to clamp down on street begging.

She warned them to relocate from the restricted areas in the state or face the consequences of their actions.

Assistant Controller of the Correctional Service in Kwara state, Okunola Adebayo, in his reaction, said those sentenced would embark on community service to serve as deterrent and instill the culture of diligence and hard work in the bid to reform them to become useful citizens.

Chairman of FIDA, Barrister Funke Balogun, decried the vulnerability of the underage children already introduced to street begging.

She, however, commended the state government for the evacuation of the destitutes and street beggars and the ongoing efforts to improve security in the state.