AN eleven-year-old boy and ten others were rescued on Tuesday from two “torture centres” in Zaria, Kaduna State, by officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). 

Aloysius Nnegha, NSCDC Deputy Commandant in Kaduna told journalists that the facilities identified as Limanchi Iya and Marmara Rehabilitation Centres were raided following credible intelligence information received on their illegal activities.

Eleven of them were all chained, including the 11-year-old boy. Nnegha noted that three people had died while in custody.

According to him, the victims were subjected to dehumanised condition, while some suffer from acute malnutrition.

The rescued victims were taken into the NSCDC office in the state. There, Kaduna Deputy Governor Hadiza Balarabe checked on them.

When contacted for comment by The ICIR, the state Police PRO, Yakubu Sabo, responded that he was in a meeting.

Teusday’s raid would make it the fourth time, within a month, illegal reformation centres were exposed in Kaduna and Katsina states with nearly 1000 victims freed.

All the rehabilitation centres, numbering five shared similar conditions of  human rights abuse in common .

The victims were subjected to inhuman treatments that included sexual assaults and serious tortures.

On September 27, about 500 boys and men were rescued from a building in Kaduna. Three weeks after more than 300 children and youths were freed by the Nigerian Police from a small building called “reformation centre” at Sabon Gari area of Daura, Katsina State. 

This week, on Sunday, 147 people were also rescued from an illegal religious rehabilitation centre in Rigasa of Igabi Local Government Area, Kaduna.

Gambo Isa, Katsina Police spokesperson, told The ICIR after the rescue operation on October 14 that the idea of religious reformation centre is a tradition in the Northern part of Nigeria.

He noted that some parents often hand-over their wards to religious housing centre for reformation, when they engaged in any kind of misbehaviour such as drug addiction and stealing .

However, he stated that the police had been receiving 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.