The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) expresses profound concern over the recent announcement by the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, regarding the relocation of Nigerians labelled as “beggars” from Lagos to their states of origin.
On Tuesday, 7 July 2026, the Commissioner stated via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account that 396 persons apprehended by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) would be profiled, offered assistance where necessary, and subsequently “handed over to the relevant authorities to facilitate their safe return to their respective states.”
Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, the Executive Director of CHRICED, in a statement on Monday, said that while the organization recognises the constitutional mandate of state governments to maintain environmental sanitation, public order, and security, we firmly oppose any policy that results in the involuntary relocation of Nigerian citizens simply because they are poor, homeless, or engaged in street begging.
Other parts of the statement read;
Poverty is not a crime. Homelessness is not an offence. Every Nigerian is a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, irrespective of economic status. Governments at all levels must be held accountable for the structural conditions that perpetuate poverty, homelessness, begging and social exclusion.
Section 41(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), guarantees every Nigerian the right to move freely throughout the country and reside in any part of it. Section 42 further prohibits discrimination based on ethnic origin, place of birth, or similar grounds.
These constitutional protections are reinforced by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), domesticated in Nigeria, which upholds freedom of movement, human dignity, liberty, and equality before the law.
The reported relocation of Nigerians, particularly northerners, by Lagos State constitutes a violation of these constitutional and regional human rights guarantees. Such actions evoke troubling parallels with xenophobic practices witnessed in other countries, including South Africa’s repression of foreign nationals.
Although Lagos State possesses statutory powers to regulate public spaces and enforce environmental standards, these powers must be exercised within the confines of the Constitution and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.
Environmental enforcement cannot be used as a pretext for internal deportation or discriminatory treatment of vulnerable citizens.
This issue is not new. Similar controversies emerged in 2013 and 2014 when Lagos State relocated destitute persons to Anambra State.
The recurrence of such incidents underscores the urgent need for a national, rights-based framework for addressing homelessness, street begging, and urban poverty—rather than ad hoc state measures that create the impression of internal displacement.
It is deeply troubling that Nigeria consistently condemns xenophobic attacks against its citizens abroad, yet practices within our own federation risk treating fellow Nigerians as unwelcome outsiders.
Equal citizenship must be upheld in practice, not merely proclaimed in principle.
Where individuals voluntarily wish to return to their home states, governments have a duty to ensure such relocation is humane, dignified, and based on informed consent.
Any relocation undertaken without free and informed consent raises serious constitutional and human rights concerns.
CHRICED urges governments to prioritise sustainable, rights-based solutions, including the establishment of temporary shelters and rehabilitation centres, access to healthcare, psychosocial support, and counselling, skills acquisition and vocational training,
Others include employment and livelihood support programs, social protection measures for the homeless and vulnerable groups, and collaboration with federal and state welfare agencies to develop long-term reintegration strategies
Relocating vulnerable citizens across state boundaries does not solve poverty; it merely shifts responsibility and risks fuelling ethnic profiling, discrimination, and inter state tensions that undermine national unity and the constitutional principle of equal citizenship.
CHRICED therefore calls on the Lagos State Government to publicly clarify whether the relocation of affected persons was entirely voluntary and supported by verifiable records of informed consent.
We further urge the Federal Government, the National Human Rights Commission, civil society organisations, and the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to develop clear national guidelines that safeguard the rights and dignity of vulnerable Nigerians while enabling states to pursue legitimate environmental and public safety objectives.
Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees one citizenship and one nation. No Nigerian should ever be made to feel like a foreigner within the borders of the Federal Republic.
