Assist street beggars, face arrest, Anambra govt tells residents

The Anambra State government has announced that offering food, money, or other items to beggars at the Aroma Flyover in Awka and other public locations across Anambra State is now a punishable offence.

This directive was made public in a notice signed by the Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) Managing Director, Ossy Onuko, on Thursday.

According to the agency, such acts, though often well-intentioned, contribute to disorder and expose children to serious risks, including road accidents, exploitation, and recruitment into criminal activities.

The agency particularly addressed content creators, charity groups, and philanthropists, accusing them of encouraging street loitering by consistently giving out handouts under the flyover.

ACTDA warned that despite their charitable goals, these efforts have inadvertently encouraged public nuisance and worsened the problem of child exposure to harm.

The agency stressed that the new policy is part of broader efforts to maintain urban order and safety. Going forward, all individuals and organisations are strongly advised to stop distributing alms in public spaces.

The authority encouraged charitable acts to be directed instead to approved institutions such as orphanages, care homes, and registered NGOs, or conducted privately in ways that do not disrupt public order.