Adamawa State government has started sending almajiri children back to their states of origin.
The exercise began on Wednesday with some of the almajiri from Gombe State sent home in mini-buses from Yola.
Altogether, 132 almajiri children, said to have been resident in Yola North Local Government Area and estimated to be one-third of those from Gombe residing in Adamawa, made the first batch to be transported back to Gombe State.
Secretary to the Adamawa State Government (SSG), Malam Bashir Ahmed, said the repatriation move is in line with the agreement reached by the Northern Governors Forum prior to the escalation of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bashir who supervised the repatriation at the take-off point in Capital School, Yola, said the exercise which commenced with the 132 almajiri children, will continue till all almajiri children from the different states are repatriated.
“The decision to take almajiri back to their states was taken by the Northern Governors’ Forum at their various meetings and it predates the coming of the COVID-19. But with the coming of the Coronavirus pandemic, it became imperative that states act fast because it is one of the potent vehicles of distributing the virus,” he said.