Lagos rescues 290 abandoned children

LAGOS State government said it has rescued no fewer than 290 abandoned children in the past one year.

Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, made the closure on Thursday while speaking with newsmen in Alausa, Ikeja.

According to her, those rescued comprises 106 males and 131 females for 2016, saying the figure was higher than the corresponding figure of 149 children that were  rescued in the previous year.

The commissioner also said that 150 reported cases of sexual and physical abuse were handled by the State’s Ministry of Youth and Social Development in the year under review, adding that five pregnant school children were assisted to access adequate antenatal and delivery services.

On the influx of beggars of northern extraction in the state, she revealed that the state had been partnering with the northern state governments to reduce the influx.

She, however, disclosed that the state was coming up with a law to prohibit begging in the state.

Speaking further, Akinbile-Yussuf said ministry organized a deworming exercise for over 60,000 pupils from various primary schools, in order to prevent the children to contacting worm infections.