Kaduna State Police Command on Saturday raided another youth rehabilitation centre popularly called Malam Niga’s Rehabilitation and Skill Acquisition Centre and evacuated 147 inmates at Rigasa Community of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The police stormed the centre located at Kwanar Gurguwa in the community in the early hours and took away the inmates to Mando Camp.
Newsmen gathered that the State Governor Nasir El’rufai was at the venue during the raid.
The founder of the centre, Lawal Yusuf Muduru, was arrested and taken away by the police for questioning.
Reporters who visited the State Pilgrims Hajj Camp at Mando where the inmates were kept under the care of the State Ministry for Human Services and Social Development reported that police men were stationed at the camp as details of the inmates were taken by officials of the ministry.
Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development Hafsat Baba who was at the camp told said “The number of inmates evacuated from the centre were 147 in total among them 22 females while four were foreigners from Niger and Cameroon. We also have under age among the inmates and those who are mentally not stable. We have contacted a psychiatric doctor who will come to examine them,” she said.
She further added that details of the inmates were taken even though she said they are waiting for directives from the State government on the next line of action.
Majority of the inmates were drugs addicts who were taken to the centre for rehabilitation and also to learn skill acquisition such as carpentry, welding, computer training etc.
The Police Command Public Relations Officer DSP Yakubu Sabo confirmed the raid but said the state Governor Nasir El-Rufai paid an impromptu visit to the centre alongside the police and discovered that the inmates were not kept in good condition.
He said some of the inmates about seven of them also alleged to have been sexually abused by other inmates at the centre, saying they are undergoing examination.
The police spokesman also said that the founder of the Centre is under police custody answering questions even though he claimed to have licence to operate but that investigation is ongoing.
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