As part of efforts to strengthen security and curb anti-social activities, the Kwara State Government has launched a crackdown on beggars and street hawkers in Ilorin metropolis through a mobile court stationed at the Ministry of Social Development Headquarters.

Led by Commissioner for Social Development Hajia Mariam Nnafatima Imam , enforcement teams recently evacuated 66 individuals including 28 women, 17 men, and 21 children from major streets in Ilorin, the state capital. The operation targeted areas such as Post Office, Taiwo Road, Asa Dam Road, Gerin-Alimi, Garage Offa Roundabout, and Tanke , where unregulated begging and street trading had become prevalent.

A statement by Janet Bogunjoko , Press Secretary to the Ministry of Social Development, confirmed the arrests and outlined the government's zero-tolerance stance: "This initiative aims to restore order, reduce urban nuisance, and provide rehabilitation opportunities for vulnerable groups."

The mobile court, operational since June 2025, will prosecute offenders under the state's anti-begging and street hawking laws, with penalties ranging from fines to community service. Authorities have pledged to address root causes of street dependency through welfare support and skill acquisition programmes.

"The commissioner confirmed that they were caught indulging in begging at different locations in the Ilorin metropolis where they were earlier prohibited."

She explained that "the evacuation of the beggars and street urchins became necessary because of their proliferation and threat to security in the state capital, adding that "the state government had to go tough and applied decisive punishment on them owing to their persistent proliferation despite various sensitisation campaigns and warnings undertaken by the state government through various platforms of communication."

Nnafatima-Imam stressed that the evacuation would be a continuous exercise and emphasised that the state government would not hesitate to wield its long sticks on offenders, advising them to heed the government's warning.

The commissioner said the beggars and street urchins were charged to the Mobile Court at the ministry where a Senior Magistrate, Jumoke Bello, delivered judgement and convicted them accordingly.

In her ruling, the Presiding Magistrate, Jumoke Bello, sentenced the offenders to perform community service punishment such as cleaning and hoeing in public places for a certain period in line with the provisions of the Kwara State Social Development Laws.

Five of the beggars were sentenced to one-month improvement at the federal correctional facilities in the state.