Victims who endured unbearable conditions at an Almajiri centre in the Agbaji area of Kwara State have recounted their harrowing experiences.
According to some of the victims, they were forced to change religion, chained, and beaten for days to break their spirit and suppress any thoughts of revolt.
Some of those taken into the centre were taken in without their parents’ knowledge, SaharaReporters gathered.
While some of those brought by their family members noted that they suffered this fate mostly for practising a different religion from that of their parents.
Both males and females are usually affected by the situation. They are chained and subjected to inhumane treatment.
Once brought into the centre, they are made to give up their phones, placed in isolation, beaten, and forced to recite the Qur’an.
One of the victims, who preferred to remain anonymous, recounted his experience. He spent one year and nine months in the facility before escaping the ordeal.
His case was that his mother is a Christian while his polygamous father is a Muslim. He chose to practise Christianity, which did not sit well with his father. He was sent to the centre for having the temerity to choose his own religion.
Narrating his ordeal, he said, “I was brought in by my father from Lagos, who is a Muslim. I chose to be a Christian, and that did not sit well with him. My mum pleaded that I should not be taken away, but I was forcefully brought here.
“When one arrives there, you’re taken into a dark room where you’re not allowed to see the sun. Nobody is permitted to visit you. Then they beat you to break you and prevent any escape. Afterwards, they lock you in chains. Later, they force you to drink some concoctions that make you lose your memory at that time.”
“Feeding is scarce in there. I, for one, survived on ₦100 for breakfast, ₦100 for lunch, and ₦100 for dinner. It was later increased to ₦200. Then, you’re made to recite Quranic verses,” he added.
The source noted that upon arriving at the location, he suffered intense beatings after being abandoned and forced to recite the Qur’an while chained.
“I was beaten, chained, and made to recite the Qur’an by the managers of the centre,” he told SaharaReporters.
While he was fortunate to escape the centre, many others are still languishing there, with some having given up on life.
“I ran away one day while I was out hawking. They give you different items to sell after a while, so you end up hawking in the streets for the ‘oga’ (boss) of the centre and the ‘madam’,” the victim said.
“The victims hawk street food like beske, wara, and fufu.”
The source noted that, weary of the appalling conditions, one of the inmates at the centre nearly lost his life.
“One of the people there almost died while I was there. He jumped into a well. We were only able to save him by holding on to the shackles on his legs. He was tired of life already,” he said.
SaharaReporters further gathered that if someone escapes the centre, the management often tracks them down and brings them back.
“And sometimes, even if you manage to escape, they find ways of tracking you and bringing you back. They are very connected and practice fetish rituals. When you get there, you’ll see all sorts of concoctions and pots used for diabolic practices while they claim to be spiritual leaders,” the source said.
Meanwhile, access to healthcare is also not available at the centre.
“When you are sick at the Almajiri centre, there is no proper treatment. All they do is give a concoction to the person. If it does not work, the best they can do is give Paracetamol, regardless of what is happening to you. If you do not get well after that, you will continue with the concoction, and this has affected many people who continue to strive to survive to date,” one of the sources told SaharaReporters.
A victim also told SaharaReporters that the authorities at the centre threaten them against reporting their experiences, alleging that the police in the area are aware of the incidents.
“They threaten you with ‘jazz’ (local charms or juju), and even if you report to the nearby police, nothing will be done because they are all aware of the practice. To them, it’s a normal thing. I tried it once—it did not work. That was immediately after I escaped. I went to the police, but nothing was done. When I suspected their complicity, I found my way out of the place where I went to report and escaped,” the source said.
SaharaReporters obtained several pictures of victims whose legs were bound by chains in the centre.
“Many of those in the centre at Agbaji are pleading for help, some are dying, and they seek urgent intervention. No one should have to live without dignity,” one of the sources said.
“Most people lose their sense of dignity and pride after a while, and they also force you to work for them by hawking on the streets and doing menial jobs; it is more like child labour,” one of the victims narrated to SaharaReporters.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Kwara State, Ejire-Adeyemi Adetoun, denied knowledge of such occurrences or the existence of such a location in the state. She asked SaharaReporters to send more details to her.
SaharaReporters subsequently sent a text message detailing the victims’ circumstances, including the location of the centre in the state. As of the time this report was filed, she had not responded.
