NSCDC Apprehends Two Clerics For Allegedly Abusing Minors in Ondo

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Ondo State has arrested two Islamic clerics over the alleged assault and abuse of two minors in Owo, Owo Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects, identified as Adebodun Muideen, 30, of Al-Balaagul-Mubeen Arabic and Islamic Centre, and Oladejo Musiliu, 35, of Abdullah Arabic and Islamic Centre, were taken into custody following a report of suspected child abuse.

Confirming the arrests in a statement, the NSCDC Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Daniel Aidamenbor, said the suspects were apprehended on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, after a formal complaint was lodged by a child rights advocacy group, the Kids and Teens Resource Centre.

Aidamenbor said the case came to light after a class teacher observed multiple injuries on the bodies of the affected children and raised an alarm.

According to preliminary findings, the victims, whose parents reside in Osun State, had been placed in the care of the clerics to study the Qur’an and other Islamic teachings while also attending conventional schools.

He explained that suspicion was heightened when one of the minors allegedly returned home with a mobile phone he could not properly account for, an incident that reportedly led to the implication of the second child.

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“Preliminary investigation revealed that the children whose parents are in Osun state gave the children to the Alfas to learn the Quran and other islamic practises while still attending conventional schools.

“One of the victims brought home a Vivo Android phone, of which he could not explain convincingly how he got it. During their findings, the other boy was implicated in the act. In order to reprimand them, a heated cutlass was used on their back and buttocks there by inflicting a deep wound on them.

“The act is a total violation of the Child Right Act and the Ondo state Child Protection Law,” Aidamenbor said.

He added that the suspects had since made confessional statements and would be formally charged and prosecuted for offences bordering on assault and child abuse.

Reacting to the incident, the Ondo State Commandant of NSCDC, Oluyemi Joshua Ibiloye, warned religious institutions, parents, and guardians against violent forms of discipline, stressing that any abuse of children constitutes a criminal offence under Nigerian law.

Ibiloye commended the executive director of the Kids and Teens Resource Centre for promptly reporting the case and urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspected cases of child abuse to relevant security agencies.