By Abubakar Yunusa
As the world marked Children’s Day, the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) sounded a grim warning about the deteriorating plight of Almajiri children in Nigeria.
In a statement on Tuesday, CHRICED’s Programme Communications Officer, Furera Isiaka, lamented that what was once an Islamic educational system has now become a troubling cycle of neglect, exploitation, and suffering.
According to her “Instead of receiving learning and care, Isiaka said children—some as young as three—are being pushed into street begging, hawking, and menial labour. Many face abuse, trafficking, and extreme hardship.
“These children are not the problem. “They are victims of failed policies, weak enforcement, and a society that has turned its back on them.”
CHRICED criticised the Nigerian government’s reactive measures, such as sporadic evacuations during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent forced removals by Hisbah, describing them as unjust and ineffective.
The center urged authorities to fully implement the Child Rights Act of 2003 and uphold Nigeria’s commitments to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
While some children enjoy love and celebration on Children’s Day, millions—particularly in Northern Nigeria—are trapped in cycles of chronic malnutrition, forced begging, and lost potential.
CHRICED called for a total reform of the Almajiri system, advocating for its integration with formal education, vocational training, and modern curricula to empower the children for the future.
Isiaka stressed the need for strict regulation of informal learning centres, ensuring basic standards of food, shelter, and supervision are upheld.
She also urged the government to roll out targeted social protection programmes, including healthcare and economic support for vulnerable families, to keep children off the streets.
CHRICED’s demands include legal accountability for child rights violators, the establishment of data systems to inform evidence-based policy, and widespread community mobilisation involving traditional and religious leaders.
“There must be serious investment in rehabilitation and reintegration,” the group said, emphasising the importance of safe spaces, education, and psychosocial support to give Almajiri children a real chance at life.
