Nigerian chess master and World Guinness Record holder , Tunde Onakoya, has criticised the Lagos State Government over the treatment of minors arrested during an enforcement operation along the Lekki–Epe Expressway.
Mr Onakoya’s reaction on Wednesday evening followed a viral video posted earlier by the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, showing officers of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) apprehending minors while they pleaded and cried.
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In the post accompanying the video, Mr Wahab said the raid on street beggars and urchins was part of ongoing efforts to restore order, ensure public safety and keep roads and public spaces clear.
Reacting in a lengthy statement posted on his X handle, Mr Onakoya described the arrest and harassment of street children as “inhumane,” arguing that enforcement alone does not address the root causes of child homelessness and street begging.
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“They are still kids. What you’re doing is inhumane and an absolute waste of everyone’s time, because no matter how many times you arrest or harass these children, they will return to the streets,” he said.
Mr Onakoya, who is the founder of Chess in Slums Africa, said the situation was a complex social crisis driven by poverty, family breakdown and failure of the public education system, warning that continued neglect would worsen insecurity in Lagos.
“No one becomes an area boy as an adult. It is neglected children who grow up to become the thugs we complain about,” he added.
Mr Onakoya described the government’s approach to the social problem as a waste of time, as it would not keep the kids away from the streets for too long.
He said real solution to the “very complex and multi-layered problem” requires “careful thinking, real empathy and deep concerted effort if we’re going to even stand a chance”.
He suggested suolutions, including rehabilitation of the children in a dedicated centre to be funded by banks as their major corporate social responsibilty projects. He said returning the kids home or trying to reconnect them to their families would not work as “they will end up right back on the streets.”
He also suggested upskilling the kids. “A lot of the kids cannot go back to conventional school anymore, so we have to try for vocational training,” he said.
He added, “Furniture making, textile, automative industry, family, barbing, e.t.c. We need parterns in these industries to hel up upskill the boys.”
Mr Onakoya also advised more dedicated mentorship programmes at public secondary schools, a step he described as “the most important way to stop the bleeding”.
The Lagos State Taskforce had earlier announced the arrest of 32 street urchins during a coordinated enforcement operation across major roads on the Island and Mainland.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the taskforce’s Director of Public Affairs, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, said the suspects were apprehended for causing public nuisance, obstructing traffic and endangering motorists.
He said areas covered included Apongbon, Fadeyi, Jibowu, Yaba Phase 1, Lagos Island, Palmgrove, Ojuelegba, Surulere and adjoining routes.
“The operation was necessitated by repeated complaints from residents about the activities of street urchins harassing drivers and creating safety risks,” Mr Abdulraheem said.
He added that the suspects were charged in court for violating the Transport Sector Reform Law of 2018 and the Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017.
Public backlash and criticism
The arrests triggered widespread reactions on social media, with many Nigerians condemning the treatment of minors and accusing the government of criminalising poverty.
Reality TV star and influencer Anita ‘Tacha’ Akide criticised the operation, arguing that enforcement without social intervention only deepens hardship.
“The first question shouldn’t be why arrest these kids. It should be why are they on the streets in the first place,” she wrote on X.
Government response
Responding to the criticisms, Mr Wahab defended the enforcement operation, insisting that government actions must be guided by law and public safety considerations.
“Advocacy and enforcement cannot be approached with emotion or knee-jerk reactions. They must be guided by law, data and long-term social responsibility,” he said.
The commissioner said the presence of minors on major highways justified government intervention.
“Leaving children to dodge speeding vehicles in the name of compassion is not empathy. It is neglect,” he added.
Mr Wahab also cited existing government programmes, including tuition-free public education, technical colleges and vocational training centres, dismissing claims that the state had failed to provide alternatives.
According to him, minors apprehended during enforcement operations are profiled, reunited with their parents where possible, or referred to the Ministry of Youth and Social Development for skills acquisition.
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“The role of government is not to parent recalcitrant children,” he said.
The incident is the latest in a series of enforcement actions against street begging in Lagos.
In December 2024, the Lagos State Environmental Taskforce arrested 15 minors and 17 adults during similar raids in Victoria Island, Ikoyi and along Lekki Road.
Authorities stated that the operations were part of a zero-tolerance policy aimed at combating street begging and public nuisance.
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