Involvement of almajiris in violent crimes in sokoto metropolis, Sokoto state Nigeria

This paper focused on the involvement of Almajiris in violent crimes in Sokoto Metropolis. The word 'Almajiri (student) is singular' derived from the Arabic word 'Almuhajir' emigrant. It refers to an Islamic method of acquiring and memorizing the Glorious Qur'an in Hausa/Fulani community where boys at their tender ages are sent out by their parents or guardians to the far and near villages, towns and cities for the search of Qur'anic education under an Islamic scholar called Mallam. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated for the study. Sokoto metropolis sample of the study was 300 Almajiris randomly drawn from the Almajiris population of 14,470 in Sokoto State. A researcher developed instrument titled, "Almajiris Violent Crimes Questionnaire" (AVCQ) was employed to collect data. The questionnaire was subjected to validation by an experts and its reliability was determined using Cronbach Alpha. This yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.76. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The findings of the study revealed that the prevalence of violent crimes was high in the study area. The violent crimes commonly committed by the Almajiris included, steeling, post-election violence, pick pocketing violent victimization, purse snatching. Recommendations of the study were highlighted and conclusion drawn. The Almajiri schools teachers (Mallams) should respect and consider the rights and future of the Almajiris in their Schools and monitor their activities closely.