LAGOS MONITORING TEAM,ARRESTED SOME WOMEN WHO ARE USING 3 BABIES TO BEG ALMS AT OYINGBO.{PHOTOS}.

                               The Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development monitoring team has apprehended two women soliciting alms with three babies who are less than a month old in Oyingbo area of the State.The two women apprehended by the team,Hadiza Nosiru and Salamotu Salisu,both from Jigawa State were arrested on tuesday,during routine monitoring operations by a Rescue Team attached to the Ministry and subsequently taken to Rehabilitation and Training Centre at Majidun,Ikorodu for shelter,investigation and possible legal action.According to the Ministry,preliminary investigation conducted revealed that the two women apprehended were not the biological mothers of the babies and that the babies were given out to them by their parents who later got paid for each baby.One of the biological mothers of the infants paraded at Alausa Ikeja on thursday,alongside the three infants,identified herself as Tawa Aregbesola from Ibadan and confessed that she had an agreement with one of the impersonating motthers to take her baby for alms begging beteen N100 and N1500 would be given to her on return.Arebgesola,who claimed to have four other children,said she did not have an idea of where her baby was usually taken to beg for alms,adding that she was oblivious of what the implications of the action could be.The State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development,Pharmacist {Mrs} Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf has however restated the determination of the State government to rid Lagos streets of all forms of alms.The Commissioner specifically expressed disappointment at the heartless practice of using newborn babies to beg for alms,stressing that by denying the infants of proper care and breastfeeding,they are inadvertenly being exposed to different hazards on the streetss.While describing the situation of using infants fo such unscrupulous purpose as very pathetic,Mrs Akinbile-Yusuf called on members of the public to join hands with the State Government in eradicating the menace by desisting from giving alms to beggars in the name of being generous,urging individuals willing to show generosity to do so through established orphanages and rehabilitation homes across the State.She also observed that the incident has been a recurring issue among the Hausa female beggars in the State,promising to pay deeper attention to the issue with the intention of taking necessary legal actions against the parties involved,in order to serve as deterrent to others who may be planning to perpetuate any form of child abuse and inhuman act against innocent children.More photos below.