Taraba rejects 100 almajiri kids from Nasarawa

The Taraba state government has rejected 100 almajiri children repatriated from Nasarawa state over “flouting of the procedure” agreed by the Northern Governors Forum (NGF).

Innocent Vakai, chairman of the Taraba COVID-19 technical committee, made the disclosure on Monday in Jalingo, the state capital.

On Saturday, the Nasarawa state government announced the return of 788 almajiri children to their home states.

However, in a statement on Monday, Taraba government said the NGF had resolved that repatriated almajiris must undergo tests to determine their COVID-19 status.

Also, the repatriated almajiris must be accompanied by officials from their state of repatriation and the results of their tests presented to their states of origin.

Vakai, who is also the commissioner for health in the state, added that proper documentation must be made for the almajiris to be accepted in Taraba.

He said the state had not started the repatriation of almajiris to their states of origin, adding that the government was in collaboration with the NGF to procure mobile testing kits in order to enhance testing capacity in the state.

Vakai also announced that Talatu Idris, the female COVID-19 patient said to have escaped from the state isolation centre, had been found.

The commissioner, who did not disclose how the woman was found, said no one was under quarantine at the moment.

He explained that the 122 quarantined in the state had been discharged after the 14-day incubation period, and that the lockdown in the state is still place.

The commissioner called on the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious case of COVID-19 to the committee.