There have been growing concerns over the influx of destitute and beggars into Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.
Residents feared that some of them might be informants to bandits and terrorist groups in disguise.
They said the rising number of supposedly ‘mentally unstable’ and destitute individuals on the streets of Lokoja was alarming.
Some residents told LEADERSHIP that given the escalating cases of violent crimes and kidnappings across the state, it called for serious concern.
The development has sparked fears about public safety, sanitation, and urban management.
The beggars are seen roaming the streets, sleeping in public spaces, scavenging around refuse dumps, and congregating at bus stops, markets, and other busy locations, raising questions about their origin, mental health, and the risk they may pose to citizens.
The situation is not different in Okene, Anyigba and other cities across the state.
A resident of Lokoja, Yakubu Isah, told LEADERSHIP that the increasing number of so-called destitute is alarming. He noted that some of them who claimed to be beggers or destitute in the daytime allegedly turned to something else in the night.
According to him, some of them could be informants to notorious criminal elements, and he called on the security agents to track and profile them to be certain of their true identities.
Speaking further, he said, “Some of these so-called destitutes have been caught engaging in criminal activities, like house breaking, stealing of personal belongings of people. They may even be more dangerous than that. The security agencies need to do a proper profiling of all of them.”
Recently, the Kogi State House of Assembly also expressed concern over the matter. At a recent plenary, the lawmaker representing Ajaokuta State Constituency, Hon. Abu Onoru-Oiza Jibrin, called for urgent government and security intervention.
While moving a motion of urgent public importance, the lawmaker noted that this disturbing trend requires urgent attention.
He stressed that criminals could take advantage of their mental state to use them for criminal activities.
He maintained that people must be very careful about strange people in their communities, saying that the security situation of the country and, by extension, Kogi State calls for vigilance.
According to Jibrin, the issue of insecurity remains a great concern to everyone in the state, admonishing the security agencies to double their efforts to nip crimes and criminalities in the bud.
Speaking in the same vein, the member representing Bassa State constituency in the state Assembly, Hon Sunday Daku, stressed that the government must conduct appropriate profiling of those coming into the state.
Another lawmaker, Hon. Bode Ogunmola of Ogori Magongo State Constituency, believes that this development remains a dangerous trend that must be nipped in the bud.
His words, “Moving mad people from other states to Kogi State is a big threat to our security. We saw recently on social media that some people who pretended to be mad were caught with dangerous weapons and ammunition.”
Speaking with our correspondent, Alhaji Musa Audu said, “Without doubt, there has been a disturbing surge of individuals perceived as deranged and rejected persons wandering the streets in Okene, Lokoja and few other places. Recent reports indicated that these individuals came in from other states.
“We are aware that these individuals are being increasingly exploited by criminal elements. It has become evident that some nefarious actors, including kidnappers, have adopted the tactic of disguising themselves in garments and behaviours suggestive of mental instability.”
According to the LEADERSHIP investigation, many of the affected individuals reportedly gather at night under the Ganaja Flyover, an area now gaining notoriety for crimes, including robbery, theft and other violent crimes.
Sources at the Ministry of Women Affairs and Environment told our Correspondent in confidence that the appropriate agencies in the two ministries are doing their best to arrest the situation.
All efforts to speak with the PPRO of the Kogi police command, SP William Ovye Aya, proved abortive, as he did not pick up his calls when this report was filed.
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