The Bauchi State Police Command in collaboration with the State Hisbah Command of the State Shariah Commission have raided the Malam Kawu Rehabilitation Center and whisked away Mallam Kawu and evacuated 10 children.
The center popularly called Malam Kawu Rehabilitation and Skill Acquisition Centre is located at Yakubu Wanka of Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State
Our correspondent gathered that 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.
This development came as a result of a complaint lodged at the Hisbah office by one Yahaya Yusuf, a one time student of the Malam Kawu Rehabilitation center.
In his account of the incident the complainant Yusuf alleged that he was brought to Malam Kawu Rehabilitation Center by his mother for rehabilitation, not knowing that the center is harbouring hardened criminals and committing sodomy.
He accused Mallam Kawu himself of sodomy and alleged that he became HIV positive as a result of sodomy by Mallam Kawu and visitors to the rehabilitation center.
Speaking with newsmen after the raid today in Bauchi, the permanent commissioner of Hisbah Barrister Aminu Balarabe Isa said that the combined operation was a huge success to the Bauchí State due to the danger poised by the center in the state.
Barrister Aminu Balarabe said that, Children from some African countries which includes Cameron, Ghana, Niger, and Cote d’iVoire were brought to the center in the name of rehabilitation which was not so. He recalled that two months ago,a group of 16 youths break the rehabilitation center and went to the Hisbah where they complained about the dubious activities taking place at the rehabilitation center.
Aminu said the Hisbah paid an impromptu visit to the centre and discovered that the inmates were not kept in good condition. He said some of the inmatesalso alleged to have been sexually abused by other inmates at the centre, saying they are undergoing examination.
Permanent Commissioner explained that due to the complaint by the children on their health status they will take the children to the hospital for medical attention to ascertain their health status.
Commissioner said that “ initially The number of inmates in the center are over 300 some of them were foreigners from Niger and Cameroon there are under age among the inmates and those who are mentally not stable, but before the operation Mallam Kawu released many of the inmates and details of the few inmates found in the center will be taken”
Police Public Relations officer CSP, Mohammed Ahmed Wakil said the raid was carried out on the request of the Bauchí State government,
police received complaints about the rehabilitation center that forced them to first of invite Malam Kawu for some questioning but did not honour the invitation and he ignore several calls to his phone.
Wakil said before the raid they have information that the center has many youths some people said the number of the in mates are over 400 immates The founder of the centre, Mallam Kawu, was arrested and taken away by the police for questioning, and investigations is on going to determine the true position of the allegations.
