Rivers deports 113 non-indigenes

By The Citizen

The Rivers State Government has sent to their home states, about 113 beggars and lunatics removed from the streets of Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The Rivers State Government warned that it would soon embark on another removal exercise.

The Chairman of the committee, Mr. Mina Jamabo, said out of the 113 beggars, destitute and lunatics removed from the streets, some had been taken to the state's rehabilitation centres for treatment.

Jamabo said non-indigenes had since been repatriated to their various states, while the indigenes would be treated by the government until they were fit to re-unite with their families.

Jambo, however, did not give the figure of the destitute sent to their home states.

The Permanent Secretary in the state's Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Mrs. Stella Toby,  however, unfurled government’s fresh plans to remove beggars and destitute from streets in the state. She made the announcement in an interview with journalists, in Port Harcourt on Monday. Toby said the beggars, destitute and mentally-ill people were constituting problems on some major streets and roads in the state.

The Permanent Secretary said the state government had set up a special committee charged with the responsibility of restoring sanity on major areas of the state. 'Most of the beggars are from neighbouring states and I can assure you that they will be removed from the streets and repatriated to their respective states,' she said.