EDITORIAL: Before These Homeless Aroma Children in Awka Become Criminals: Govt Must Act

By Tony Okafor

Every day beneath the flyover at Aroma Junction in Awka, clusters of teenagers and younger children loiter aimlessly. From dawn to dusk, they spill onto Secretariat Road—sometimes begging, sometimes simply wandering.

It is a troubling sight, one that has become part of the daily scenery in the capital of Anambra State.

At first glance, these youngsters may seem harmless. But residents know better. Complaints of pickpocketing, petty theft, break-ins and burglary in the surrounding neighborhoods have become routine—often traced to these abandoned children.

Charity groups and well‑meaning individuals have tried to help: offering food, clothing, and even enrolling some in schools. Yet, time and again, the children drift back to the underpass.

Worse still, investigations reveal that some parents deliberately send them out to beg, insisting they surrender whatever they collect at the end of the day.

This is not just a nuisance. It is child abuse. And it is a ticking time bomb.

Many of these children now sleep permanently under the bridge, surviving by scavenging. If nothing is done, they will grow up hardened, angry and hostile to a society that looked the other way.

What appears to be idle loitering today will inevitably grow into full-blown crime tomorrow.

The Anambra State Government must act—immediately and decisively. Simply arresting and dispersing these children is no solution. What is needed is a comprehensive, sustained programme that addresses the root causes of their plight.

The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs must take the lead: identify these children, trace their backgrounds, rehabilitate them and give them a genuine chance at life. Parents who exploit their children must also face sanctions.

This is a task that only government can carry out effectively. Private citizens and NGOs, however well-intentioned, cannot intervene at this scale without inviting suspicion or accusations of ulterior motives. Only a transparent, state‑driven response has the credibility and resources to halt this silent tragedy.

The First Lady of Anambra State, Dr. Nonye Soludo, through her Healthy Living initiative, has shown commendable interest in addressing social ills. This crisis now demands her urgent attention. Aroma Junction should become the starting point for a flagship rescue programme that rehabilitates these vulnerable children before they grow into an uncontrollable menace.

Every day of delay makes tomorrow’s crisis inevitable. These children will not disappear. They need help. They need direction. And they need it now—before it is too late. Government must lead the way.