Nigerian Journalist Buhari Olanrewaju Sounds Alarm, Says Al-majiri ‘Criminal’ Practice Feeds Boko Haram Recruitment, Demands Northern Leaders Take Action

Nigerian journalist Buhari Olanrewaju Ahmed has issued a dire warning about the ‘criminal’ Al-majiri practice, calling on Northern leaders to immediately end this system that exploits vulnerable children and feeds directly into the recruitment pipeline of Boko Haram.

In a Facebook post accompanied by a harrowing image of an ill-kept child, Ahmed unleashed a scathing indictment of the Al-majiri practice, calling it a “criminal enterprise” that not only fails to safeguard children’s welfare but also leaves them vulnerable to poverty, abuse, and eventual recruitment by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram.

Ahmed’s call to action was directed at Northern leaders, imploring them to take swift and decisive steps to end this dangerous practice before it causes further harm to the already fragile security landscape of Nigeria.

He wrote, “It is quite disheartening to see this minor undergoing pain in the name of Al-majiri, a practice that should have been abolished by the Northerners.

“This boy is said to have malaria, with no one to take care of him in Borno. If this boy grows up in the hands of Boko Haram, it would add to the security threat of the country. This is why all the religious and political leaders in the North need to hold a national conference to abolish this primitive way of exposing children to danger in the hands of criminals.

“There are thousands of these children roaming the streets, begging for money. At the end of the day, terrorists entice them with large sums of money and recruit them into their fold for suicide attacks.”

In northern Nigeria, the Makarantan Allo or Almajiri education system has faced criticism for its outdated practices and vulnerability to children involved.

The Almajiri system has led to a distressing situation where children are taken away from their homes and left to wander the streets in neighbouring villages or towns through their formative years.

These children account for a significant part of the reported 20 million out-of-school children. They are used as additional labour in their communities and are exposed to hazardous conditions, including being sent to the streets to seek work or beg. These are concerning issues. It goes against legal protections and international standards and violates their rights. It risks their education, health, well-being and safety, exposing them to danger in many ways.