‘Despite coming from Niger Republic to beg in Lagos, we make N500 daily’

The growing influx of underage beggars on Lagos streets, particularly around major intersections, is raising concerns over child welfare, public safety and the state’s social intervention capacity.

The steady rise in street begging across Lagos State has drawn concern from residents, with young children and adults increasingly seen soliciting alms on major roads and intersections. At Ketu Bus Stop along Ikorodu Road, beggars of varying ages, including teenagers and elderly persons, are frequently spotted appealing to motorists and passersby. Some teenage girls, estimated to be between 15 and 20 years old, told Saturday Tribune that they migrated from Niger Republic to Kano and later relocated to Lagos in search of better earnings from begging after fleeing insecurity in their home country.

“We have been begging for some years now and we need help. We are tired of begging. We make about N500 a day,” one of them said. The teenagers disclosed that they sleep around the Mile 12 area at night and return to Ketu during the day to solicit alms. Across the metropolis, from Lagos Island to Ojota, Ikotun, Egbeda, Abule-Egba, Oshodi and Ajeromi, underage beggars are visible at busy intersections and beneath pedestrian bridges, navigating traffic and approaching motorists for assistance. Many residents describe the situation as an emerging underclass crisis, citing concerns over child exploitation, cross-border migration and the increasing normalisation of street survival among minors.

Chairman of the Community Development Council in Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area, Babatunde Kasunmu, warned of the risks posed by the growing number of juvenile beggars in public spaces. He cited petty theft, harassment of motorists and coordinated distraction tactics as potential dangers. “Unless the Lagos State government returns to the basics, the menace of juvenile begging will persist,” he said, urging authorities to implement coordinated social intervention programmes to address the root causes of the trend.

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