This archive report was first published on 15 October 2019.
On October 14, 2019, police in northern Nigeria conducted a daring rescue operation, freeing over 300 young men from an Islamic boarding school where they were subjected to inhumane treatment.
The operation, which took place in Daura, Katsina state, was sparked by a protest from students who had escaped from their hostel the previous day.
According to Katsina police chief Sanusi Buba, the young men were chained and tortured, with some even being sodomized by their teachers.
"We learnt that the inmates here are over 300 and because of the inhuman treatments they are being subjected to they revolted yesterday," Buba said.
The school, established by 78-year-old Muslim cleric Bello Mai Almajirai 40 years ago, had enrolled students from various parts of Nigeria, including Katsina state and the neighboring Niger Republic.
Police will work with the state government to establish the identities of the young men and contact their families to return them home.
Buba promised to arrest the proprietor and his teachers who managed to escape during the raid, and vowed that they would "face the full wrath of the law".
This is the second such operation in a month, following a similar rescue in nearby Kaduna state where over 300 male students were freed from a similar boarding school.
