THE Kaduna State police command has rescued 147 people from an illegal religious rehabilitation centre in Rigasa of Igabi Local Government Area, Kaduna. 

This is the third case, in a month, of exposing facilities regarded as  “reformation centres” where enrollees were subjected to several humanitarian issues that include sexual assaults and serious tortures.

In September, the police raided what it called a “house of torture” in Kaduna and freed over 500 victims including children. On Monday, the government rescued about 300 people at a centre in Katsina State where the victims aged between 7 and 40 years old were held captive.

And on Saturday in Kaduna, around 147 victims were rescued after the security operatives, along with Nasir El-Rufai, the state governor stormed an illegal facility popularly known as Malam Niga’s Rehabilitation Centre, according to ChannelsTv.

Some of the victims were found chained in their legs. 22 females were among the rescued people with four foreigners. While the owner of the centre was arrested for interrogation, the victims were all transported to the Hajj Camp in Mando area of the state capital for profiling and other humanitarian aid.

The Kaduna government also said the victims would be reunited with their families.

A similar facility was raided by the police on Monday where over 300 people were put in a small mud house. An investigation by the police showed that the place had been in existence for 40 years.

Gambo Isa, Katsina Police spokesperson, had told The ICIR that the idea of religious reformation centre is a tradition in the Northern part of Nigeria. He said some parents often hand-over their wards, when they engaged in any kind of mis-behaviours which include drug addiction and stealing, to religious housing centre for reformation. 

However, the police claimed it had been receiving several reports concerning some centres violating the humanity of the enrolees that include sexual harassment,  lack of social amenities and some were chained on their legs and hands.