Leader of the Yoruba World Congress (YWC), Prof. Banji Akintoye, on Wednesday, warned that the South West would no longer tolerate the influx of Almajiri children into the region.
Prof. Akintoye said most of the displaced kids had already been infected with the dreaded Coronavirus, hence the refusal of the children from the region.
To stem the tide, Prof. Akintoye called on governors in the region to tighten security and heighten patrols in the boundaries of their states.
According to him, “The Northern governors seem to have woken up from the Almajiri problem created by the northern culture.
“Now, they are forcing the Almajiris to go back to their places of origin, but many of them don’t want to be taken back. So, many are finding their way southwards.
“It is a very terrible situation because these are not just ordinary times. Coronavirus is out there, and it is massive in the north, so most of those who are fleeing do not want to be taken back to their places of origin, they choose to roam wherever they want and most of those coming southwards are infected with Coronavirus.”
He stated that allowing the Almajiri children into the South West would add to already complex problem in the region.
“Almost all of the contacts with the outside world come through Lagos. We are only lucky that we have governors, who are rising to the task of tackling the Coronavirus especially the governor of Lagos state,” he added.
He lamented that the movement of the Almajiris is an unacceptable situation, adding that the Yorubas would not accept them.
