108 persons rescued from illegal rehabilitation centre in Ilorin

Children, women and other young adults, numbering over 108, have been rescued from an illegal rehabilitation centre, Gaa Odota in the Ilorin West local government area of Kwara state, by the men of the state police command.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Thursday, the state commissioner of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, said that the rescue operation was aided by an intelligent report on activities of the owner of the centre.

The police boss, who said that some of the rescued persons had been in the centre for over five years, added that most of them were kept in unhygienic condition.

He said that many of them had been afflicted with diseases without treatment.

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Egbetokun, who said that some of the inhabitants of the centre were chained and underfeed, added that the command would carry out more surveillance efforts to possibly uncover centres of the sort in other parts of the state.

He said that the command would also contact parents or relations of those that had phone numbers, with the intention to take them home.

The police boss assured that the command would take necessary action to re-unite other detainees with their families.

Also speaking with journalists, owner of the alleged illegal rehabilitation centre, Abdulraheem Owotutu, said that all those found at the centre were brought by their families for treatment.

He commended the police for the operation carried out on his centre, adding that he would assist the police with information on how to contact families of the people.