In Daura, Nigeria the Koranic and Rehabilitation Centre was recently raided revealing the institution to be more of a “torture house”. The private Islamic boarding school was home to troublesome children, drug addicted young men, or men who have committed petty crimes.
The center’s accommodation was made up of six cells where up to 40 “students” were chained inside each cell. In the same place they ate and slept, residents were often forced to urinate and defecate with their chains on inside of their cells. Additionally, they would be removed from their cells for beatings or to be raped by the staff.
Over the course of the month around 600 people have been found in these centers living in horrific conditions. Kaduna state’s commissioner of human services and social development plans to track down the remaining facilities, shut them down, and prosecute the owners.
Although they have been met with public outrage, Jaafar Jaafar from the Daily Nigerian claims the people who live there have always been aware of the existence of such institutions. It is said that people believe these schools will heal children spiritually, and that this takes priority. Parents are unbothered by how their children are treated as long as they are rehabilitated and receive a Koranic education.
In 2017, north-west Nigeria hosted three million drug users. Katsina state only runs one rehabilitation center for men and another for women. This lack of state funded facilities has resulted in a rise of private rehabilitation centers in the form of these schools.
Nigeria hosts the largest Muslim population in West Africa with over 50% of the population. Even if funding was increased for rehabilitation centers many parents will still prefer centers that rehabilitate in the name of Islam. Since religion is such a prominent factor in the majority of the Nigerian population, it will be difficult for the government to provide centers that provide “spiritual healing”. Perhaps some government mandated guidelines and requirements can be applied to private institutions so even if parents choose a religious based center the conditions could improve.
The reality of the mistreatment of children and young adults through religious centers in countries such as Nigeria is disheartening. Such abuse is normalized in a way that many parents are unphased by the abuse of their children, as long as they receive a Koranic education.