NSCDC Arrests Two Islamic Teachers Over Alleged Abuse of Minors During Religious Instruction
Ademola Busayo 
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested two Muslim clerics in Owo, Ondo state for allegedly inflicting severe injuries on minors by burning them with a heated cutlass during Islamic education sessions.
In a statement on Thursday, Daniel Aidamenbor, NSCDC public relations officer (PRO) in Ondo, said the suspects, Adebodun Muideen, 30, of Al-Balaagul-Mubeen Arabic and Islamic Centre, and Oladejo Musiliu, 35, of Abdullah Arabic and Islamic Centre, were apprehended after a report by the child-rights group, Kids and Teens Resource Centre.
Aidamenbor said the incident was reported on Wednesday when a class teacher noticed multiple injuries on the boys and alerted the advocacy group.
He said preliminary investigations showed that the children, whose parents reside in Osun, had been sent to Owo for Qur’anic studies alongside conventional schooling.
He said trouble began when one of the minors returned home with a Vivo Android phone and could not explain how he got it.
The NSCDC spokesperson said the second boy was implicated during questioning, causing the clerics to allegedly use a heated cutlass on the boys’ backs and buttocks, causing deep wounds.
“The act is a total violation of the Child Rights Act and the Ondo State Child Protection Law,” the statement reads.
“The suspects had confessed and would be charged to court for assault and child abuse.”
The corps spokesperson warned religious institutions, parents, and guardians against unlawful punishment of children, noting that “acts of violence against children, no matter the justification, constitute criminal offences punishable under Nigerian law.”
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