Author(s) :

TEMITOPE Adeyemi, EA Bature , Sunday Adejoh.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

The contemporary Almajiri system has become an important subject of policy and scholarly discourse due to growing concerns about its implications for child protection and national security in Northern Nigeria. This study assessed child rights protection as a national security strategy by examining the security implications of the contemporary Almajiri system in Kaduna State between 2016 and 2025. A mixed-method approach was adopted, combining questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and documentary evidence from government reports and scholarly publications. The findings revealed that inadequate child protection within the contemporary Almajiri system contributes to educational exclusion, neglect, exploitation, poverty, unemployment, and increased vulnerability to criminal exploitation and violent extremism. The study further established that these challenges are driven primarily by structural factors, including weak implementation of child protection policies, inadequate integration of Qur'anic and formal education, poverty, and limited institutional coordination rather than the philosophy of Islamic education itself. The study argues that strengthening child protection systems should be viewed as a proactive national security strategy capable of reducing social vulnerability and promoting sustainable peace. It recommends improved enforcement of child protection legislation, greater investment in inclusive education, stronger collaboration among government agencies, religious institutions, traditional leaders, civil society organisations, and local communities, and the integration of Qur'anic and formal education to enhance children's welfare, human development, and national security in Kaduna State and Nigeria. Keywords: Child Rights Protection; National Security; Almajiri System; Human Security; Kaduna State.

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