By Ibraheem Hamza Muhammad

Nasarawa State has returned 788 Almajiri pupils to their respective states of origin. Nasarawa is not the only state to have returned Almajiri pupils to their states of origin. Kano and Plateau States are some others who have relocated Almajiri pupils to their states. Governor Abdullahi Sule, who bade farewell to them at Government Science School, Lafia, the state capital, said: “The plan to repatriate them is of good intention and not otherwise.”

According to him, the agreement was reached by the northern governors forum as part of efforts to curtail the spread of the coronavirus disease. The governor insisted that the essence of the exercise was to allow them return to their parents.

He said that this is the first batch of the Almajiri from the southern part of the state. Daily Trust gathered that those in the batch are from Jigawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Gombe, and Taraba states. Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong, had vowed not to relent until the last Almajiri is relocated to the state of origin from his state.

Speaking last Thursday in a broadcast, he said: “The profiling and return of Almajiri has commenced and shall continue until the last Almajiri is relocated. “On 26th April 2020, the first batch of 279 Almajiri was evacuated. “Out of this number, 243 were sent home to their states of Bauchi, Kano and Kaduna, while 36 were sent to their local governments of Wase and Kanam.”