The Gombe State Government has sent 700 almajiri children in the city to their states of origin across the 19 Northern states of Nigeria.
The state’s Commissioner for Education, Dr Habu Dahiru, made this known in Gombe, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
He said the first batch of 700 almajiris had been conveyed to their various states in the North in 60 buses accompanied by security personnel. 
Dahiru said that the almajiris were also given a covering letter to the Ministry of Education in their respective states.
According to him, this decision was informed by the collective agreement of the Northern Governors’ Forum that all almajiris should be returned to their home states for better management.
He said the 700 were the first batch, adding that other batches would follow as part of measures to curtail the spread of Coronavirus.
“We had a meeting with teachers of Islamic Almajiri schools in the state to let them know why the decision was taken. Primary to tertiary institutions are closed in the country as part of measures to reduce the spread of Coronavirus. Almajiri schools cannot be an exception,” Dahiru said.
