A cleric has been arrested by the Kaduna State government for keeping young girls in his almajiri school..
The cleric, Aliyu Maikwari, was arrested in Zaria for allegedly keeping young girls in his almajiri school after 327 out of 500 other children were evacuated from the house where the children were being accommodated.
According to the Commissioner for Human Development and Social Services, Hajiya Hafsat Baba, out of the almajirai evacuated, 17 were girls between the ages of 8 and 10 and were mixed up with other older boys in the same house.
She described the situation as against the teaching of Islam and blamed the parents of the girls for giving out their daughters to the man.
“When I was told I couldn’t believe it until I saw the pictures. Young girls of not more than eight to 10 years were mixed up with these boys.
“We were able to evacuate 327 out of the 500 children in the house. Because he was so stubborn we had to use operatives of ‘Operation Yaki’ to arrest him.
“We also understand that he gives out these girls for marriage. He is now under investigation in Kaduna,” she said.
She said the cleric was arrested as part of the state government’s operation to evacuate almajiri from the state and send them back to their parents to curtail the spread of the COVID-19.
