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From Paul Orude, Bauchi
Bauchi State First Lady Aisha Bala Mohammed has raised alarm over the increasing vulnerability of street-roaming Quranic children to sexual exploitation, abuse and neglect across Northern Nigeria.
Hajia Aisha Bala Mohammed, who is the Chairperson of the Bauchi State Action Committee on Gender-Based Violence (GBV), made the remark during a media chat in her office in Bauchi.
The First Lady said the growing number of Islamic school children roaming the streets without care, shelter or protection has exposed them to dangerous forms of exploitation.
According to her, many Almajiri children are forced to survive under harsh conditions, making them easy targets for abuse and manipulation by criminal elements.
“When we see what is happening to them, they move around and are prone to being abused sexually and physically,” she said.
The GBV chairperson lamented that society was gradually losing compassion for vulnerable children, stressing that many of the boys are left hungry, homeless and without parental supervision.
She blamed the situation on a combination of poverty, parental neglect and the inability of some traditional Quranic teachers to cater adequately for the number of children under their care.
The First Lady disclosed that some Sangaya teachers admit far more children than they can properly accommodate, forcing many of them into street begging and unsafe living conditions.
“Sometimes you see a teacher hosting 100 children when he does not even have the capacity to accommodate 20 of them,” she stated.
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She also criticised parents who hand over their children to Quranic teachers with little financial support or follow-up care.
According to her, some parents leave their children behind with as little as N20,000 or N30,000 and rarely check on their welfare.
Hajia Aisha Bala Mohammed called on religious leaders, traditional rulers, media organisations and government agencies to work together to protect vulnerable children and reform the Almajiri system.
She stressed the need for stronger awareness campaigns, rehabilitation programmes and improved welfare standards for Almajiri children.
“The office of the First Lady or the GBV committee cannot do it. All hands must be on deck to address this issue,” she stated.
The First Lady, popularly called Uwar Marayu (mother of orphans), has been hailed for her compassion in supporting orphans and Almajiri children, many of whom she has rehabilitated.
She called for urgent reforms and stronger community involvement in addressing the growing challenges facing Almajiri children across Northern Nigeria, appealing to media organisations, Islamic scholars and traditional leaders to intensify awareness campaigns aimed at protecting vulnerable children roaming the streets.
The First Lady revealed that she once organised an orientation programme for Sangaya teachers, advising them not to admit more pupils than they could properly accommodate and feed.
She disclosed that a modern Sangaya school in Bauchi, handed over to the late Dahir Bauchi for management, is currently being renovated and modernised.
She added that the media would soon be invited to inspect the progress made at the institution.
