The Lagos State House of Assembly is considering a new law aimed at prohibiting street begging and activities associated with street urchins, commonly referred to as “area boys,” across the state.
The proposed Street Begging and Street Urchins (Prohibition, Prevention and Rehabilitation) Law of Lagos State 2026 was presented to stakeholders at a public hearing in Ikeja.
The proposed legislation seeks to address street begging and related activities in public places, including motor parks, traffic intersections, pedestrian bridges and open markets.
Stakeholders at the hearing, including legal practitioners, traditional representatives, civil society groups and community organisations, expressed support for the initiative, while also calling for adequate safeguards during enforcement.
Concerns were raised over reports of some individuals allegedly using dangerous weapons to compel motorists and members of the public to give them money, particularly at night and in areas such as the Lekki-Epe corridor and Ojodu-Berger.
The Lagos State Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Uchenna Akingbade, urged lawmakers to make the provisions of the proposed law clear and unambiguous.
He also called for more rehabilitation centres and stronger measures against individuals found carrying dangerous weapons while engaging in street begging.
Under the proposed law, the use of children for street begging or hawking would be prohibited. Children apprehended under the framework would be treated in line with the Lagos State Child Rights Law and referred to appropriate child-welfare authorities.
Adults arrested for offences under the proposed law would face a rehabilitation-focused process.
A first-time offender could receive a warning and be referred to a designated rehabilitation centre, while subsequent offences could attract a fine of up to ₦200,000, a non-custodial sentence of up to three months, or both.
Serial offenders could face imprisonment of up to two years upon conviction.
The proposed rehabilitation programme would include temporary accommodation, literacy education, vocational training, psychological counselling and life-skills development, with the aim of helping affected persons reintegrate into society.
The bill also proposes enforcement powers for the relevant state agency, although legal practitioners and rights advocates have called for clear limits and safeguards to prevent arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention.
The Nigerian Bar Association stressed that the legislation should address harmful conduct and the exploitation of vulnerable people rather than criminalise poverty, homelessness or disability.
Chairman of the House Committee on Youth, Sports and Social Development, Abiodun Orekoya, said the proposed legislation recognises that street begging and the presence of vulnerable people and young persons on the streets involve security, social, economic, developmental and child-protection concerns.
He said the legislative response must be both firm and humane, stressing that vulnerable children should be protected rather than simply punished.
The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Mojisola Meranda, who represented Speaker Mudashiru Obasa at the hearing, said the proposed law was not intended to deprive anyone of their rights.
She added that the views and recommendations gathered during the public hearing would help shape the legislation before it proceeds through the remaining stages of consideration.
The proposed law is therefore still subject to the legislative process and would need to be passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly and assented to by the governor before it becomes law.
