The Kebbi State Government says it has received 83 additional Almajiri (Qu’anic education pupils) repatriated from Kano State.

The development was made known in a statement signed by Malam Yahaya Sarki, the Special Adviser to Gov. Atiku Bagudu on Media, in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday.

The children were received by the Chairman of the state’s Task Force on COVID-19, and also Commissioner for Health, Alhaji Jafar Mohammed, and his members on behalf of Bagudu.

“The children hail from seven local government areas of Birnin Kebbi, Kalgo, Dandi, Argungu, Maiyama, Jega and Yauri, while one of them was a citizen of neighbouring Niger Republic.

“All the children were handed over to the Chairmen of their respective local governments, while the child from Niger Republic would be taken back to his country through the protocols laid down by the Federal Government,” the statement said.

“We laud the Kano State Government for earlier testing and isolating the children at the Isolation Centre in Kano.

“I am happy all the children had been declared coronavirus disease-free, as they had tested negative to it.

“They were, therefore, ready to be reunited with their families as well as the general society.

“Our topmost priority now is the continuation of both their Qur’anic and Western education, but with their own biological parents.

“We pledge the state government’s commitment to fully protect all the fundamental human rights of the children,” the statement quoted the commissioner as saying.

Gov Atiku Bagudu had earlier personally received 61 Almajiri children repatriated to the state by the Kano government on 22 May.