CITY NEWS: FCT Minister, Wike, Wins As Fed High Court Rules Against Street Begging

The Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a N500 million suit seeking protection for “vulnerable residents” of Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, including scavengers, beggars and roadside petty traders.

The decision, delivered on Thursday, allowed the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities, including the FCT minister Nyesom Wike, to proceed with the crackdown aimed at ridding the capital city of the category of people.

“There is no dignity in begging as we are encouraged to work hard,” Judge James Omotosho ruled, holding that the fundamental rights enforcement suit lacked merit

The judge said begging, as a full-time profession, is usually a result of laziness and indolence on the part of the beggar.

He said if granted, the prayers sought in the suit filed by a lawyer would turn the FCT into “a haven of all sorts of unwanted and unwholesome activities.”

“It is capable of turning the FCT into a safe haven for the destitute and vagabonds around the country. This cannot be the intention of the drafters of the constitution. This can also encourage criminality and breeding ground for all kinds of criminal elements,” the judge said.

He then ruled that any action by the minister to remove the groups in line with the Abuja Environmental Protection Act was “constitutional and legal.

SOURCE: PREMIUM TIMES