Ondo state sends back almajiris from Sokoto state

The Ondo State Government has turned back about twenty-five  almajiris who came into the state on Monday through truck, having passed through bush paths  to beat the blockades by security officials enforcing the lockdown directives,

Penpushing reports that, Almajiris are children who are sent to go live with Islamic clerics from whom they learn about the religion, but thousands of them, end up as street urchins without access to education or health care.

The Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, had earlier raised alarm over the suspected influx  of almajiris into the state from northern parts of the country, while  updating residents on developments regarding the efforts of the government in curtailing the spread of coronavirus.

Penpushing further reports that, Akeredolu  lamented the porousness of the entry points into the state, manned by security agencies in line with the restriction of movement order, noting  that “some states in the Northern Nigeria are already deploying almajiris to other parts of the country.”

The Governor was, however silence on name the states where the alamajiris would be coming from, but called on residents to be vigilant and report any unusual large population of young people imported to the state.

“As I said earlier, undesirable penetration at the borders and disregard for social distancing remain our low points. We cannot allow them in, they have to return to where they are coming from.

Penpushing also reports that the State government got hints and information on the movement of the almajiris and quickly notified the security agencies to swiftly ensure they were not allowed.

“We cannot allow them in, they have to return to where they are coming from,” the source said. “The government already had the information and that led the governor to make the statement on the matter.”

Penpushing reports, the Ondo State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Tee Leo-Ikoro, confirmed interception of those he called young men, adding that they have been taken out of the state.

The police spokesman said the young men claimed they were coming from Sokoto State and had come in through Kogi State which shares boundaries with Ondo State, adding that, “this afternoon, we took them back to the boundary between Ondo and Kogi, because they said they came through a village in Kogi State. We have to take them back to the boundary and asked them to return to Sokoto.”

Penpushing reports that, Leo-Ikoro,  said the police  have gotten directives to block the bush paths where the almajiris had cut into the major roads in order to ensure none of them returned to the state.

“With the blockade of those paths, because they know all the bush paths, we have ensured that no one is allowed to go through it. They were returned in the same truck they came in with”,he said