The Kano State Hisbah Board in Northeast Nigeria has promised to sanction anyone found guilty of child labour and molestation.
The Commander General of the board, Sheikh Harun Muhammad Sani Ibn Sina made the disclosure shortly after apprehending a large number of children begging on the streets.
Sheikh Ibn Sina noted that some of those evacuated from the streets are from neighbouring states employed as house helps, while others claimed to have fled from their almajiri school.
According to him, the rate at which underage children engage in societal vices is alarming.
He described children as leaders of tomorrow and as such there was the urgent need for parents and guardians to take full responsibility to maintain a crime-free society.
The Commander General explained that the board would intensify more efforts towards mitigating the menace of street begging, child labour and molestation, among others.
He mentioned that the state government had submitted a draft child protection bill to the Kano state house of assembly, adding that if passed into law, the bill would protect the interest of children against all forms of oppression.
Sheikh Ibn Sina maintained that the agency had commenced reuniting those evacuated from the streets with their families and would sanction all those found guilty of negligence and molestation of children.
He, therefore, appealed to philanthropists and wealthy individuals to assist orphans and the less privileged in the society to mitigate street begging and child labour
He reaffirmed the agency’s readiness to partner with parents, religious leaders, traditional rulers and all relevant stakeholders in curtailing societal vices and protecting children’s rights.
PIAK
