Akwa Ibom state government has said 70 percent of the hundreds of mentally deranged persons in the streets of the state are sneaked into the state from neighboring states at night.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Dr. Glory Edet, made the disclosure Wednesday in Uyo, the state capital while flagging off the evacuation of mentally sick persons from the streets.
Edet said the desire of the state governor is to achieve a clean and serene environment for residents and investors.
She expressed sadness that during recovery of the victims, 70 percent of the treated persons were discovered to be non-indigenes who were sneaked into the State by people at night.
“I want to appeal to the security agencies to also help the State Government because most of the times when the mad people are well, we discover that almost 70% are not from Akwa Ibom State meaning that people bring them to the State when they hear that the government is evacuating lunatics, treating and rehabilitating them.”
She said the state government received reliable information of the influx of mentally sick persons who are loitering the street in the state which informed the state government decision to help rehabilitate them from the streets.
“Akwa Ibom State Government as part of it’s responsibility of creating an enabling environment for it’s citizens thought it wise to help evacuate, sponsor and ensure sick persons lying on the streets are given better treatments and care.
“We are here today to evacuate all the lunatics off the streets and we will not just evacuate them but will evacuate them from the streets, take them to psychiatrist hospitals where they will be treated by doctors.” She added
