Anambra govt cracks down on child trafficking syndicates, arrests 30

The Anambra State government has launched an operation against syndicates using children to beg for alms in Awka, the capital city.

The Ministry of Women Affairs and the Awka Capital Development Authority (ACTDA) carried out the operation on Tuesday evening, arresting about 30 child beggars, including some adults.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the flyover bridge at the popular Aroma Junction has long become a den for child beggars, who are evidently used by their parents and syndicates to solicit alms.

Residents of the area told our correspondent that the children not only create an eyesore as they run around begging during school hours, but they also constitute a nuisance by frequently stealing from people.“Anytime a group of charity organizations comes to give out food, the children create a very rowdy atmosphere.

At the end, they even steal phones and other valuables from the organization members, who do not suspect that some of them are thieves,” a resident said.

A traffic warden who controls the flow of vehicles in the area said: “Sometimes, you see them climbing the flyover and jumping down from that height.

They create all sorts of disturbances, including stealing from themselves, passersby, and fighting.”The Commissioner for Women’s Affairs, Mrs. Ify Obinabo, said: “We are arresting these children not to make them victims but to use them to identify the syndicates that brought them here for begging.

“You and I know that Anambra has a low number of out-of-school children, and we will not stand by and let these children remain on the streets while being exploited by syndicates.

They will help us trace the syndicates behind them, and those are the people who will face the law.”Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ACTDA, Mr. Ossy Onuko, said the operation was planned in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs to remove children from the streets.

The operation was challenging as the street children fled when the enforcement team arrived, with some putting up a fight. However, they were eventually rounded up, bundled into waiting vehicles, and taken away.

The Commissioner noted that the operation would continue throughout Awka to ensure the city is rid of children exploited by syndicates for begging.