Kaduna 'torture house' do me 'like hellfire'

One pesin wey survive di Nigerian "torture house" for Kaduna state north west of di kontri wey police raid, don describe im experience like "living in hellfire".

"If you dey pray, dem go beat you. If you dey study, dem go beat you," Isa Ibrahim, wey be 29, tell BBC.

Nearly 500 men and boys na im dem rescued from di building for Kaduna, wey dem bin dey use as Islamic school and correctional facility.

Di police call am place of human slavery, dem bin chain many of di pipo dem rescue from dia.

Authorities say dem torture and sexually abuse some of di victims.

BBC Ishaq Khalid, wey visit di school for northern Nigeria, say pipo dey worry say dat kain abuse fit dey happun for some oda institutions like dat.

Many families for dat Muslim part of di kontri no fit afford to send dia children go school and those wey fit, dey most times send dem go Koranic schools wey no dey properly regulated like dis one, im tok.

Police don arrest seven pipo, including some teachers. Goment say dem go investigate oda schools.

Isa Ibrahim tori

Mr Ibrahim say im family send am go dia two weeks ago to "correct im behaviour".

E say im try escape di day before di police come.

E say dem chain am to one old generator and say dem give am one ogbonge punishment, wey dem dey call "Tarkila", wia dem tie im hands up and hang am from di ceiling.

"I get plenti injuries. Injury dey almost all part of my body," Im tok. "Even if you dey sleep - dem go use cain take wake you up."

Im add say dem starve am, give am only ordinary rice to chop. Pipo wey dem keep for di centre "dey lose all energy", Im add.

Children as young as five dey among di pipo dem rescue from di school, wey e be like say don dey operate for some years now. Most of di men and boys di school na from northern Nigeria but two come from Burkina Faso according to tori.

Abandoned chains for 'house of torture'

Ishaq Khalid, BBC News, Kaduna

Daru Imam Ahmad Bun Hambal suppose be Islamic school, as well as place to correct children and young pipo with bad behaviour. But clearly, some oda tins wey no pure bin dey happun inside di place.

Police don take over and close down di place. Di pink two-storey building be like prison structure wey high walls and barb wire surround. E get ogbonge gate, with more dan a 12 rooms, with small windows for air to come in.

Wen I visit di place, abandoned household items like like mattress, buckets, clothes and books - wey dem live afta di police raid na im scata for everywhere.

Kaduna state police tok-tok pesin Yakubu Sabo tell me say dem rescue most of di captives with dia chains still on dem but I still see some wey dem abandon, as well as car wheels and generators wey dem say dem tie di victims dem to.

Pipo wey dey live near di place say di tin shock dem - dem say dem no believe wetin police discover.

Di "students" no go outside to beg for street like di usual practice with traditional Koranic schools for di region. Or say dem force dem to do hard labour - some tok say dem never step foot outside for years.

Dem torture dem to discipline dem - to correct wetin dem see as bad behaviour.

Families dey reunite with dia children for one camp for Kaduna wia dem carry di victims go afta dem rescue dem.

Some say dem bin no allow dem see dia children for di school.

"If to say we know say na wetin dey happun for di school be dat, we no for send our children. We send dem to go be pipo but dem treat dem anyhow," na so one parent, Ibrahim, wey bin don identify im son tok.

Kaduna state goment don tok say dem go chook now inside all Koranic schools across di state.

"Dis na eye-opener for us," na so Hafsat Baba, Kaduna State Commissioner of Human Services and Social Development tok. She add say if dis kain trin dey happun for di main city, she no know wetin go fit don dey happun for di rural areas.

"We have to map all di schools. And we need to make sure say if dem violate di goment orders den dem go close dme down completely," she tell BBC.

"If we find any facility wey dey torture children or dey do dis kain horrible tins wey we just see, dem go face di law."

President Muhammadu Buhari too don condemn di reports of wetin im call shocking abuse for di institution.

E also ask religious and traditional leaders to work with di authorities to "expose and stop all types of abuse wey communities know say dey happun but choose to ignore."