HUNDREDS FREED FROM ABUSIVE ISLAMIC FACILITY

LAGOS Nigerian police have freed 259 people from an Islamic rehabilitation centre in the southwestern city of Ibadan, police said on Tuesday, taking the number rescued from abusive institutions since September to nearly 1,500.

Images from local TV station TVC taken after the captives were released showed a group of mostly young men and teenage boys. Many were emaciated. An infant was also among the group.

“We eat one meal a day,” freed captive Olalekan Ayoola, told TVC, saying the food wasn’t fit for a dog to eat.

Nigeria launched a crackdown on informal Islamic schools and rehabilitation centres in late September after a man was refused permission to see his nephews at one institution and complained to police.

Many captives have said they were physically and sexually abused and chained up to prevent them escaping.

Oyo state police spokesman Fadeyi Olugbenga said nine people, including the owner of the centre, had been arrested and were under investigation.