No fewer than 250 beggars, on Thursday, demonstrated in Ibadan over low patronage by the public following speculations that some rich men usually ‘buy’ money from them for fetish purposes.

According to the spokesperson for the destitute, Imam Abubakar Abdullahi, the Serikin Hausawa of Hausawa Community, Oja’ba, Ibadan, the rumour had created deep hatred for his people.

Street begging booms despite ban on Almajirai by Northern governors Abdullahi said: “The reports that some wealthy people are buying money from beggars, including the physically-challenged people, for money rituals is not true.

“As a result of the claim that some ritualists do buy money from these beggars, there has been public resentment against these innocent people.

“What we know is that traders, hawkers and commercial drivers do come to these beggars who are mainly blind and lame people, to change money (get smaller denominations).

“We need to clear our names so that people will not be punishing us for offences we don’t know anything about.”