Kaduna Evacuates 5,904 Almajiri In Five Days

As a strategic measure to prevent spread of Coronavirus, the Kaduna State Task Force on enforcement of the street begging/hawking (prohibition) law, has evacuated 5,904 of Almajiri from schools across Kaduna.

This may not be unconnected to lack of possibility of maintenance of social distancing among these group of children especially as the State is shut down which automatically prevented movements.

The five days exercise took place between Monday, March 23 and Friday, March 27 after due consultation with proprietors of the Almajirai schools in Kaduna city. 

The exercise, according to interim report obtained from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Development (MHSSD) on Friday’s evening, Jigawa State top the list with 652 children followed closely by Bauchi State and Zaria town with 628 and 531 children respectively.

The least was 2 children evacuated to Chikun local government area of the State.

The Task Force began the exercise with Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi cluster of schools, notably Madrasatul Sikafil Islamiyya and Madrasatul Tarbiyyatul Islamiyya in Asikolaye and Unguwan Sanusi; the most populous of the Sheikh’s chain of schools in Kaduna with a combined population of over 1,900 children.

Although these schools had already began evacuation of their children, the Task force discussed and agreed with the schools for government’s intervention and by Tuesday, March 24, 2020, a complete manifest was taken and 322 children were marked for evacuation to Lafia (Nasarawa State), Enugu, Kano, Bauchi and Sokoto States.

According to that report, the Task Force partnered with administrators of Kaduna Line and agreed on modalities for provision of vehicles for the exercise.

Commenting on the development, Commissioner, MHSSD, Hajiya Hafsat Baba said, the evacuation became necessary in addition to stay-at-home directives as State government was not living any stone unturned to prevent Covid-19 in the State.