FOUNDATION WARNS ALMAJIRI SYSTEM POSES LONG-TERM SECURITY THREAT TO NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA .(PHOTO).

 Foundation Warns Almajiri System Poses Long-Term Security Threat to Nigeria, West Africa .

The Foundation for Peace Professionals (FPP) has issued a strong warning that Nigeria’s worsening insecurity may persist unless the Almajiri system is decisively dismantled within the next five years, cautioning that continued neglect could have far-reaching consequences for the country and the wider West African subregion.

In a statement circulated on Friday, the organisation expressed concern over what it described as the long-standing failure of successive governments to comprehensively address the Almajiri phenomenon, which involves thousands of children roaming the streets in northern Nigeria in search of alms while receiving informal religious instruction.

According to the Foundation, the growing population of unsupervised, uneducated and impoverished children has created fertile ground for criminal networks, violent extremism and other social vices, thereby fuelling insecurity across several parts of the country.

“The Almajiri system, in its current form, has become a ticking time bomb,” the group warned. “If urgent and decisive action is not taken within the next five years, Nigeria risks entrenching a cycle of poverty, radicalisation and violence that could destabilise not only the nation but the entire West African subregion.”

The statement stressed that many of the children are exposed daily to hunger, abuse, exploitation and criminal influences, making them vulnerable to recruitment by insurgent groups, bandit gangs and other non-state actors. The Foundation noted that this vulnerability has security implications beyond social welfare concerns.

FPP called on the Federal Government, northern state governments and traditional and religious leaders to work together to dismantle the system through a coordinated strategy that prioritises compulsory basic education, child protection, social welfare support and economic empowerment for affected families.

The organisation also urged authorities to strengthen and properly implement existing laws on child rights and compulsory education, while investing in modern, integrated learning systems that combine religious and formal education.

The warning comes amid persistent security challenges in Nigeria, including insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnappings in the North-West and North-Central regions, and rising concerns over youth unemployment and social dislocation.

Observers say the renewed call by the Foundation adds to growing pressure on policymakers to move beyond short-term interventions and address structural social issues that continue to undermine national security and regional stability.