Police raid an alleged Islamic centre, free 300 people in chains

Kaduna State Police Command on Thursday raided an alleged Islamic centre in Rigasa in the Igabi Local Government Area of the State with over 300 people in chains .

About 300 people, including children, who claimed to be from Burkina Faso, Mali and other African countries, were set free by the police .

The children were said to have confessed to being abused homosexually.

Some of the others were said to have been subjected to daily recitation of the Holy Quran and prayers with torture.

42-year-old prisoner, Bello Hamza, said he was tricked to the centre by his family who are interested in taking “over my share of our inheritance.”

“I have spent three months here. I am supposed to be pursuing my Masters at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

“This is supposed to be an Islamic centre, but trying to run away from here attracts severe punishment; they tie people and hang them to the ceiling. However, engaging in homosexuality attracts no punishment.”

The Kaduna State Commissioner for Police, Ali Janga, confirmed the incident and said, “We received information that something is going on in this rehabilitation centre or Islamic centre. On getting here, we discovered that this is neither a rehabilitation centre nor Islamic school.

“The man who is operating this home claimed that parents brought their children here for rehabilitation. But, from the look of things, this is not a rehabilitation centre. No reasonable parent will bring their children to this place.

According to the proprietor of the Islamic centre identified as Malam, the centre is where people are thought Islam and not for torture .

He said, “All those allegations of torture, degumanisation and homosexuality are false and mere allegations. We do nothing here other than teaching people Islam.”

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