Mr. Pius Emmanuel was the only man in the company of three girls who went begging for arms on the streets from members of the public. Mr. Emmanuel, a 26 years old man is the leader who had been in the trade since 2004. He coordinated the street begging under the guise of Compassion International Project Centre, a supposed Non-governmental Organistion under the auspices of The Apostolic Church Nigeria in Amumara town in Anambra State.

Each morning, members of the group took off from their abode, somewhere in Rumuigbo in Obio/Akpor local government. They were desirous like every other worker or business person. They endured the sun and the mild rain. Their missionary outreach for the needy was a regular assignment that needed every commitment. About six states had been visited with similar mission.

They were in Port Harcourt for the fifth time. It was to raise one hundred and fifty thousand naira for Mr. Peter Effiong who needed a surgical operation. Mr. Effiong’s photography that the group carried everyday showed a man who had a swollen scrotum that had also overwhelmed the penis. The face of the middle aged man was pain inflicted. The sight of the swollen scrotum elicited sympathy. And with the inscription ‘make a donation for life’, humanity hardly became blunt. And they gave with a charity attitude, unsuspectingly.

The daily proceeds on a high traffic road were put between eight to ten thousand naira. Port Harcourt people were seen as kind hearted, generous and overwhelmingly encouraging. And the money would be used to settle the surgical operation bill for Mr. Efiong so that he could live a normal life.

Without a premonition, the group was out on the Olu-Obasanjo road on a sunny day. By the time they identified the bus and its occupants, the officers of the Rivers State Special Task Force saddled with riding the streets of beggars, had come upon them. They were apprehended and taken to the Rivers State Rehabilitation Centre at Iriebe. On the first night of stay At the Centre, one Pastor Ifanye Chuks visited and collected the photograph and the day’s proceeds from them. He had entered the premises by some ‘palm greasing’ gesture. He left with the promise of returning the next day.

But instead of him coming, it was one Mr. Luke Okorie who came to claim he was the father to one of the girls, Joy Nwankwo, 18 years old from Imo state. The difference in the surnames could not be explained neither was Mr. Okorie able to confirm if his daughter had written the West Africa School Certificate Examination. She had said so earlier. He also denied knowledge that his daughter was a street beggar. He insisted to take her away to Enugu State. In the confusion that erupted because of the dramatic acceptance by the girl that Mr. Okorie was her father, his disappeared. Albeit, without the girl.

Joy Nwankwo said she had called her father on phone to inform him of the arrest.
She and Amara Okonkwo, 16 years from Anambra State and Nchendi Obi, 17 years’ from Enugu State had engaged in the street begging business without the knowledge of their parents. For Nchendi Obi, she had lived with friends and eked a living without a parental concern shown by her parents. She was not willing to return to them.

Together, they were recruited by Mr. Emmanuel who provided them a clinic gown as their begging uniforms. That presented them as health workers on a mission. He also provided them accommodation where ever they had gone. As to how much daily allowance they were paid, their accounts were contradictory. But they could get five hundred naira, one thousand naira or nothing each day. Their hair was well made and nails painted to portray them as a serious business group. They insisted that they were volunteers on a missionary outreach to help the sick.

The Authority of The Apostolic Church Nigeria in Enugu State had dissociated itself from the group insisting that it had no such NGO group saddled with street begging to raise money. It labeled the group as fraudulent. But Mr. Emmanuel insisted that it was a missionary outreach effort of the church’s youth department.

The patient, Mr, Effiong was said to have been sent away from a private hospital. And with the expected money; half a million naira, raised, Mr. Peter Effiong would be re-admitted and operated upon. The group declined how much had been raised so far as there were other teams dispatched to other States.

Mrs. Louisa Ezinwo is the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation. She affirmed evidence of criminality among apprehended street beggars beyond the normal excuse of raising money to eat. She solicited the support of members of the public by resisting the antics of beggars who rip them of their hard earned money. Such resistance would discourage street begging.

For the members of the group apprehended by thee Ministry’s task force, they would be investigated with the cooperation of their state governments to uncover those behind the nefarious activities. The involvement of the police in the matter was however pegged on the approval of the State governor. And the Police through its image maker, Mrs. Rita .Inoma – Abbey said until they were briefed and invited into the case they would have no roll to play in the matter. That was notwithstanding that fact that some of its officers were members of the task force.

But weeks after, members of the group had been let off the hook and nothing was known of their where about and who gave the authority for their release. However the raid on beggars was still on-going. Already the rehabilitation centre was filled to capacity. The management of inmates had become an enormous challenge for the ministry.

Mrs Ezinwo said the Ministry would remain undaunted in its task. It was also seeking collaboration with neighbouring state governments to cater for their destitute and take decisive action over their indigenes whose activities had been reported to them. That step was believed to be a major signal that would decongest the rehabilitation centre at Iriebe and other shades beggars group had turned. It would also reduce the high number of non Rivers indigenes who stream the streets in Rivers State to beg for arms.