Lagos beggar deported from Germany earns over N10,000 a day to fund drug habit

RICH beggar Kehinde Olatubosun has confessed to the Lagos State Police Command that he earns as much as N10,000 (£34.62) a day and N300,000 a month begging for alms on the street which fetches him more than a proper job could and also funds his drug habit.

 

Over the weekend, the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command embarked on a massive arrest of drug user and during the raid arrested Mr Olatubosun and 18 others at a joint in Ipodo, Ikeja. Upon interrogation, Mr Olatubosun, 56, originally from Ibadan in Oyo State, said he made over N10,000 daily begging at Mobolaji Bank Anthony Roundabout, besides Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (Lasuth), Toyin Street and Opebi, all in Ikeja.

 

He added: Every day, I make over N10,000 doing corporate begging, as all days of the week, I am always in Mobolaji Bank Anthony Roundabout, Toyin Street Roundabout and Opebi. At times, I collaborate with other beggars and whatever we make, we share but I get a larger share.

 

“What I do is that I get Lasuth drug prescription papers from their waste bin. With this in my hand, I convince motorists, passengers and passers-by that I have a relative who is in need of money to buy drugs and I show them the prescription papers."

 

Pointing out that he has been a beggar since he was deported from Germany in 2004, Mr Olatubosun said that prior to his deportation, he was working as an electrical engineer in Bauhusa, Cologne, Germany. He lived in Germany for a total of 12 years and two of his four children still live there.

 

Mr Olatubosun added:“I was in possession of drugs when I was arrested in Germany, so they deported me. I have four children, two of whom are in Germany with my wife, while one is in Texas in the United States and another is in Nigeria.

 

"Unfortunately, all the money I make from this begging goes into drugs. I am always there, seven days a week but I make more money on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and I make more than N10,000 on weekends."

 

Adding that he is a law-abiding man, he promised, however, that if he was released, he would not go back to drugs again. It is not yet clear if the police will charge Mr Olatubosun and the others they arrested with any offences.

 

Nigeria's monthly minimum wage is currently set at N18,000 and most of the country's 36 state governments are struggling to pay it.  Mr Olatubosun effectively earns more in two days than Nigerian workers on the minimum wage do in a month as he takes hiome a grand total of N300,000 a month.