9-year-old Almajiri boy abandoned in Bauchi juvenile home

A 9-year-old Almajiri boy, whose name is withheld, has been abandoned at Bauchi Juvenile Remand Home by his biological parents as well as the Malam from whom he was receiving Islamic and Quranic education in Bauchi.

The abandoned Almajiri boy is currently serving a sentence at the Bauchi Juvenile Remand Home having been convicted by a Court for an offence he committed three years ago.

The disclosure was made by the Bauchi State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Child Development, Hajara Gidado while speaking at the opening of a 2-day capacity building training for Tsangaya and Islamiyyah Teachers at the Conference Hall of the Sa’ad Abubakar Hajj Camp in Bauchi on Tuesday.

Hajara Gidado narrated that the Almajiri boy was brought to Magama Gumau in Toro LGA for Islamic education from somewhere in Kano state.

According to her, “The Almajiri boy, in the course of his begging, was able to save money to buy an old Android phone with which he learnt many criminal acts through watching films and other programmes. One of the acts he gained was kidnapping.”

The Commissioner added, “One day, in the course of his begging, he got to a house, he met a 5-year-old girl, he picked her and took her to a school in the town. After some hours, the girl became hungry, he too became hungry. He therefore went round to look for what the two of them would eat.”

Hajara Gidado added that, “He tried to get the phone number of the father of the girl who had been looking for the girl. The Almajiri boy called the father and asked him to bring N5million as ransom. The father ignored him.”

“Later in the evening, he decided to return the girl to the house where he picked her. On the way, he met the father who asked him where he got the girl and he ignorantly told the father that he kidnapped her and since the father did not bring the ransom demanded, he decided to return her,” she added.

The Commissioner said that the father asked him to wait for him which he ignorantly did not know the gravity of the offence saying, “A Policeman was invited and whisked him away.”

According to her, he was arraigned and sentenced summarily and served the sentence at the Juvenile Remand Home for the past two years making him to be 11 years old now having been convicted at 9 years.

She however lamented that all efforts to get his parents and the Islamic teacher proved abortive as neither of them showed up thereby abandoning him to his fate.

The Commissioner therefore appealed to parents to ensure proper upbringing of their children stressing that even if they must send them outside for Islamic and Quranic education, they should provide for all their basic needs to prevent them from joining bad elements.

She also called on Islamic and Quranic education teachers to take care of all their Almajiris by teaching them the proper way of life.

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