Executive Director, CHRICED, Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, while revealing the organisation’s plans to curtail the menace, in an address titled “Almajiri Are Also Children And Citizens of This Country: Time For Concerted Efforts To End Forced-Child Begging And Other Rights Abuses Associated With Almajiri System in Northern Nigeria, said evidence abounds across the country of how the rights of children are flagrantly trampled upon.
Zikirullahi noted that politicians and other persons seeking foot soldiers for acts of violence often resort to using almajiris.
“The reality of Almajiri children in Northern Nigeria represents the worst and most cruel violation of the rights of children, which calls to question the humanity of the perpetrators.”
He observed that interventions at state and non-state level, aimed at addressing issues of almajiri in Northern Nigeria, had not yielded any significant impact in terms of reducing the number of Almajiri children on the streets.
He stated that the Almajiri system, which is currently the subject of abuse and misuse, used to be a functional one in the pre-colonial times, providing platforms for young people to acquire knowledge of Islam.
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