Adams Agbo, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government, on Saturday, received the 300 rescued children from an Islamic Centre raided by the police in Rigasa, in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Saturday.
The rescued children were handed over to the state government by the Nigeria Police.
Confirming this to journalists, in Kaduna, the state command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo, said that the government would in turn hand over the children to their parents.
“Yes, we have handed over the children to the state for onward reunion with their parents. The children are victims not offenders,” the spokesman told journalists on Saturday.
It will be recalled that the police on Thursday raided an Islamic centre evacuating 300 who were chained with many of them in different degrees of torture at the camp.
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The police said that the children were mostly from West African countries of Burkina Faso and Mali and as well as other African countries.
The rescued who were mostly children confessed to be abused sexually at the camp, while the elderly were subjected to daily recitation of the Holy Quran and prayers with torture.
It was discovered at their release that many of the children were in chains and fetters as the scars of injuries indicate with other forms of torture.
The rescued people disclosed on Thursday evening that their unbundling from the torture camp was a former of liberation from slavery.
The man who operates the home claimed, “Parents of the now rescued brought the children here for rehabilitation.
But, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Ali Janga said, “From the look of things, this is not a rehabilitation centre. No reasonable parent will bring their children to this place.”
Explaining how the concentrated camp operates, the proprietor insisted that all they do at the centre was the teaching of the Holy Qur’an.
“All the allegations of torture, dehumanisation and homosexuality are false and mere allegations. We do nothing here other than teaching people Islam,” he said.
On Friday after the news of the raid of the centre was broken, the mothers of the rescued children protested, calling on the police to release their children to them.
Following the Friday protest by the parents and guidance of the children, the spokesman of the command confirmed on Saturday that the 300 rescued children have been handed over to the Kaduna State Government.
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Sabo, the command spokesman also confirmed that the suspects who were seven in number arrested during the raid are still being held by the command for future investigation.
According to the police boss, “The children have been handed over to the state government for reunion with their family while the suspects arrested are undergoing investigation.
“They were handed over to the state government yesterday (Friday),” he said.
On the issue of whether parents gave their consent, “The school will always want to look for support from members of the family that are humble to them so that they could get soft landing.
“Whether or not they were the one who handed their children over, there is limitation to what can be done to human being even though it from the father.
“According to law, even if it is the father that subjected his child to an inhuman treatment, there is a level where he will be held liable for his action.
“Nobody is questioning the concept of whether the parents took their children there. What we are saying is that inhuman treatment was meted out to these children which is a violation of the constitution.”
The police spokesman also explained, “The Islamic Centre had no licence to operate such camp, As far as we know, they have not entered any documents to show that they are licensed.
“Even If you have license to give correctional program, that does not give you order to run educational program.”
Meanwhile, the police chief said that the command would charge the suspects to court as soon as investigation was concluded.