The Kwara State Government has said the operations of scavengers in the state pose insecurity and will be regulated henceforth.

The government said the move would ensure the security of lives and property and increase revenue drive of the state.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Mallam Shehu Ndanusa Usman, disclosed this during a meeting with the Association of Scavengers in Ilorin.

“The present administration is not comfortable with their operations in the state as it is causing insecurity.

 “Therefore, we deem it fit to regulate your activities, through an official registration, for efficient operation across the state,” the commissioner said according to a statement by the Press Secretary, Yakub Kamaldeen Aliagan, yesterday.

The commissioner explained that the ministry would commence registration of the industry for proper recognition, each bearing an identity code and uniforms for identification.

In the light of this, Mallam Ndanusa warned scavengers in the state to stay away from criminal activities and operate by the environmental laws, failure of which would attract the full wrath of the law.

Earlier, the state Chairman, Association of Scavengers, Mallam Musa Umah, thanked Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for creating an enabling environment for scavengers to operate in the state.

He however reiterated the association’s readiness to comply and operate within the law governing its business.

Speaking during the event, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Hajia Afusat Ibrahim, informed the association that the registration would close on December 31 while the full enforcement would commence by January 2025.