43 Ibadan ‘torture centre’ inmates left in Oyo govt custody

About 43 of the rescued inmates of the Ibadan ‘torture centre’ are left to be reunited with their parents or guardians, as of Saturday evening.

The 43 comprises 33 who are still receiving treatment at the Adeoyo State Hospital, Ibadan and 10 who are still being held at the temporary camp at Sanyo, Ibadan.

The continuing release of the inmates, which began on Thursday, follows the conclusion of profiling, while parents are mandated to sign an undertaking before taking back their children or wards.

It would be recalled that over 200 inmates were rescued from the Olore centre, Ibadan, last Monday.

Speaking on progress in the release of the inmates, a government official described as baffling some parents who were not interested in taking back their children, asking the government to continue to take custody of their children.

In light of this, the official said the state government, working on the information given by the remaining inmates, will be embarking on home tracing to ensure all inmates are reunited with their families.

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As part of a reformation process for the inmates, the official disclosed that the state government had booked the parents and inmates for counselling therapy.

State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs Faosat Sanni had on Friday given the hint that the state government was resolved to conclude the process of reuniting as soon as possible.

Sanni had disclosed the state government’s approved correctional facilities were full hence its resolve to fast track the process of releasing the inmates.

She, however, added that with the Olore scenario, it was incumbent on the state government to work towards opening up more correctional centres.

“Presently, the correctional centres owned by the state are filled up and with the number of children evacuated from Olore centre and we may not be able to accommodate all of them.

“However, this scenario will give us the opportunity to open up more centres to cater for these people,” Sanni said.