The Abuja beggars express to Wike that they did not choose this situation.

During the flag-off ceremony for the construction of access roads in the Katampe District on Tuesday, Wike issued a warning concerning a potential crackdown on beggars.

Expressing concern over the rising number of beggars in the Federal Capital Territory, the former governor of Rivers State has instructed law enforcement officials to begin apprehending them starting this Monday.

The beggar expressed that he never found joy in begging, emphasizing his dislike for the discrimination that comes with it, particularly in the nation’s capital.

“This situation I find myself in is not something I wanted. It can happen to anyone who is still alive. Some people see us coming and run away.

“In public vehicles, nobody wants to sit close to us. You see, there are people who think that just by interacting with me, they will become blind.”

“We depend on what I get from begging. With the current economy, where people are suffering and there’s no food, my family and I will have to stay at home and wait for death because there will be nothing to live on—no food.

“I can knit very well, forget that I am blind. The government should empower us instead of arresting and detaining us. We have many of us who are gifted, a blind beggar in Abuja said.