Niger govt repatriates 21 almajirai to Katsina

The Niger State government has repatriated 21 almagirai to Katsina State.

Recall that the almajirai were intercepted on their way to Mokwa town, following the ban on streets begging in Katsina State.

Barrister Mariam Haruna Kolo, Director General of the state Child Rights Protection Agency, Barr. Mariam Kolo, made the disclosure during the repatriation of the almagirai back to Kastina state.

She said the almagirai were intercepted in Minna while being conveyed in a bus by one Malam Habibi Abdulrazaka who lived in Suleja.

“Three days ago, we were called upon that a bus was being intercepted with 21 almajirai and were brought to our office. During our interaction with them, we found out that most of them were below the ages of 17.

“And being that they were below such age and are all almajirai who have come here to learn and have not fulfilled the basic requirements to liaise with Islamic association in the state, we have to return them back to their state of origin,” she said.

Barr. Kolo noted that Niger State would not be used as a dumping ground where children were brought from other states and dumped in the state which informed the immediate return of the children back to their home state.

She added that the state would not condone any act of street begging which had longed been abolished, stressing that “only children who had done basic requirement are welcome to learn quaraic education in the state.”

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She explained that any Islamic teacher bringing children to learn must ensure the rights of the children were protected such as feeding and provision of decent accomodation, saying that “government will no longer take the burden of people coming into the state.”

Abdulrazaka Habib, the teacher caught conveying the children, said the children were brought by their parents from Katsina State to him in Suleja to acquire quranic knowledge, he however added that he was not aware of the rules and regulations on ground.

He said the children were brought to him in Suleja by their parents from Kankara in Katsina State to learn quranic education.

The National Organising Secretary of the state chapter of Center for Qur’anic Research of Nigeria, Sadiq Yamai, said the association had been collaborating with the state government to profile children brought into the state to learn quranic education.