The Jigawa State Government has received more repatriated Almajiris from Nasarawa and Gombe States.
Chairman of the state COVID-19 Task Force, Dr. Abba Zakari, disclosed this to DAILY POST on Monday.
He explained that 390 Almajiris were received from Nasarawa State and 39 were received from Gombe State.
DAILY POST reported that Kano State Government had also sent back 607 Jigawa indegenes said to be vagrants.
He noted that state government had isolated all the returnee almajiris for 14 days and had employed the services of private laboratory to examine their health condition.
“Jigawa State Government has contracted an NCDC accredited private laboratory from Kaduna for COVID-19 testing of all the repatriated almajiris.
“Our aim is to protect the larger society. We can only allow these children back in society if we are sure that they are not positive. We would then allow those that are negative to go home and we would have to treat others that are positive in our treatment centre,” Zakari stated.
Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar said it is not a right to repatriate almajiris to their states of origin at the time of COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor said Jigawa State has no intention to evacuate non-indigene almajiris to their states now as it would pose more danger in the spread of COVID 19 but introduced free feeding to all tsangaya schools.