The Society for People with Disability Forum has called on President Bola Tinubu to direct security agencies and other government authorities to immediately end the arrest, detention and alleged extortion of persons with disabilities (PWDs) across the country.
The appeal was contained in an open letter addressed to the President on Wednesday and made available to journalists.
The forum condemned what it described as the dehumanisation and forced relocation of persons with disabilities, particularly in Lagos State and other major cities, saying such actions violate their rights and worsen their living conditions.
The letter, signed by the forum’s National Chairman, Comrade Suleiman Ibrahim, and National Secretary, Peter Bulus, said many PWDs found begging on the streets were driven by poverty, unemployment and limited access to education and social protection.
While acknowledging that street begging is not an ideal means of livelihood, the forum argued that arresting and relocating persons with disabilities without rehabilitation or reintegration programmes does not address the underlying causes of the problem.
The group alleged that some officials have subjected persons with disabilities to inhumane detention, demanded money for their release and forcibly returned them to their states of origin.
According to the forum, such actions contravene the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, and further expose affected individuals to poverty, trauma and social exclusion.
It urged President Tinubu to direct all law enforcement and state agencies to adopt a rights-based approach in addressing the challenges faced by persons with disabilities rather than criminalising them.
The forum also called on the Federal Government to enforce the five per cent employment quota for persons with disabilities in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), warning that institutions that fail to comply should be sanctioned.
In addition, it proposed the establishment of a national disability support grant for vulnerable persons unable to work because of severe impairments, accessible vocational training centres nationwide, interest-free microcredit schemes for small businesses and inclusive transit rehabilitation centres to support the reintegration of persons with disabilities.
The group appealed to the President to grant its leadership an audience to discuss the proposals, expressing confidence that their implementation would improve the welfare of persons with disabilities and advance the objectives of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
