The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has said that the 48-year-old Hadiza Ibrahim, a street beggar caught with N500,000 and $100 cash was not involved in any drug peddling, arms dealing, kidnapping or otherwise, as the money in her possession, was accumulated overtime.
The FCT Administration revealed that preliminary security profiling of Hadiza, who was caught at a junction along Ademola Adetokunbo Crescent, in Wuse II, Abuja, clearly established that she was not into such nefarious acts.
This revelation was against the backdrop of mixed reactions trailing the controversial arrest of Hadiza by officials of Social Development Secretariat (SDS) some days ago.
Briefing journalists on the issue on Thursday, the acting Director, Social Welfare Services of the SDS, Malam Sani Amar, said as part of its profiling, the Police personnel attached to its enforcement team, were given time to play their role, and it was clearly established that she is not into such nefarious acts.
“Within our little knowledge and experience in discharging our duty, with the assistance of security personnel attached to us, we understand that Hadiza was not into any criminal activities.
“And if you look at the money found in possession, it was accumulated overtime. And the profiling we did on her, and we gave the Police in our team, time to play their role, and they did what they can, and it was clearly established that she is not into such nefarious acts.
“She was so wise to have selected the areas of her own begging business, where she realises huge money daily,” he said.
He explained that Hadiza, who hails from Zaria in Kaduna State is one of the die-hard beggars that had been severally apprehended by the secretariat’s taskforce from the streets in highbrow areas.
He added that from their assessment within a decade that they have been apprehending the notorious beggar, she seems to be socially deformed not mentally, even as he described her as an “economical saboteur’’.
The FCTA official, however, appealed to the public to stop giving alms to beggars on the streets and junctions, as it what was encouraging them, thereby causing environmental nuisances in the nation’s capital city.
“You can imagine somebody dishing out one hundred dollar as alms to a beggar, not knowing that such person has more than that amount with him or her. Won’t the beggar return to the same location?
“We have established colonies and settlements of real people who are in dire need of such support either cash or kind. So, I want to solicit that anybody who wish to give such alms or support, should please carry out such to such people in dire need or you can go directly and give them.
“Civil servants, private business operators and what have you, if you have to give alms or assistance of any kind, look around you, there are people in dire need of help, reach out to them, you will be blessed,” he stressed.
The beggar, while responding to questions from journalists, who witnessed the return of the said money to her, said prior to her taking to street begging more than a decade ago, she was into clothes trading, which she abandoned due to increasing rate of bad debt.
Explaining how she accumulated the huge sum, she said it was from her savings through N2,000 daily contribution. (Leadership NG)
