Operators of an Islamic school in the northern Nigerian city of Kano have closed the facility – and have released the “students” to their parents as police raids on such facilities continue.
The school’s owner, Sheikh Muhammad Aminu Abubakar, told BBC Hausa that nearly 100 male students had been released to their parents who brought them to the institution.
He said community leaders had advised the centre to close as a precaution, even though he denied maltreatment took place.
Mr Abubakar said he was shocked and appalled at the discovery of abuse in other centres raided by the police in the past few weeks.
He said they used counselling and religious teachings to rehabilitate the students and not torture in his own correctional centre.
Authorities in Nigeria have recently intensified raids on religious correctional centres that are accused of torturing their captives.
Four such facilities have been shut down in less than a month and around a 1,000 captives freed.
The detainees spoke of being tortured, chained up and some said they were sexually abused.
Operators of the closed correctional facilities have been arrested – some have already been charged with torture and operating the so-called rehabilitation centres illegally.
Source: BBC Africa
