Lagos govt’ll continue to send destitutes packing -Ikuforiji
Written by Bola Badmus-LagosMonday, 12 August 2013
Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Honourable Adeyemi Ikuforiji, declared at the weekend that the exercise to rid the state of elements that constitute “security threats” will continue unabated, even as he blamed the government of Anambra State for politicising the recent deportation of destitutes who are indigenes of the state.
The speaker, who spoke with newsmen, stated that destitutes from other states, including Kano, Oyo and Ogun had in the past been takenback to their states without the affected governments raising an eyebrow.
“Nobody talked about deportation when Kano, Ogun and other states’ indigenes were removed and taken back to their states,” he said.
According to him, the Rivers State government recently sent some Lagosians back home whilethe state accepted the decision without complaining to the Federal Government or twisting the issue to attract public sympathy asbeing done by the Anambra State government.
Speaking further, the speaker argued that those taken back to their states were destitutes, declaring that the exercise would “continue until our roads are safe.”
“They have no genuine means of livelihood and no known address. So, they are considered illegitimate burden as well a serious security challenge to the state.
“It is not the responsibility of Lagos State to cater for indigenes of other states who are engaged in illegal livelihood. I don’t think it is right to allow destitutes to constitute themselves as a menace to our society,” he argued.
He, however, debunked claim that the destitutes were ill-fed and tortured before they were sent to their state.
It will be recalled that the Lagos State government recently deported 73 destitutes mainly from Anambra State who, it claimed, constituted security threat.

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