16-year-old Almajiri, Uzairu Salisu, whose eyeballs were plucked out by ritualists has received a scholarship from the Bauchi state government to advance both western and Islamic education.
Recall, in June this year, Uzairu was lured to work at a farm in Dutsen Jira, Yelwa Area of Bauchi State, unknown to him his employer had other plans to remove his eyes. Salisu has since been left blind and 3 suspects were arrested in connection to the crime.
Receiving Salisu and his parents at the government house Bauchi, Governor Mohammed condemned the act insisting that those who perpetrated it must be punished.
“We should stop this diabolic practice because it will not take us anywhere.”
On his part, Salisu wants the government to help him get justice.
“What he did to me should be done to him.”
The Governor promised to get justice for him and take full responsibility for his upkeep.
“We have taken over the responsibility of the education of this young man from Katsina because the calamity that befell him here in Bauchi and because of our culture as a family. Even if we leave the government, my wife and I will take care of all his needs. We assure you that we are going to do everything to make sure that the culprits are punished because he has said that he has not forgiven them, and we have also not forgiven them as a state and as parents so definitely they are going to face the full wrath of the law.”
Governor Mohammed laments that there must be a bold and concerted effort to embrace the almajiri system of education into the conventional system of learning in order to reduce child molestation.
“… even the practice of almajiri system we have to ask governors to as much as we can to make sure we bring it within the mainstream of education where we will be able to take away the responsibility from the parents. In our country, our southern counterparts are able to educate all their children and their wards, i know they don’t have almajiri but they have children, they are all given free education at the primary level and that is why we in Bauchi we are going to declare emergency in education and we will take responsibility of the education of our children and our wards both in almajiri and in western education so that we will be at par with our counterparts and we will be do away with this without going into the controversy. “
