The Department of State Security (DSS) has raided a house located at JMDB quarters, in the Tudun Wada community of Jos North LGA of Plateau State, where the operatives rescued 21 young people, including almajirai.
The Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), while confirming the incident, told Daily Trust that the rescued victims told the group during interrogation that they were forcefully brought to the house and converted to Christianity.
The General Secretary of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Rev. Yunusa Nmadu, said the house which was raided by the DSS was under the custody of the church but denied that it was used to convert people to Christianity, adding the claim should be discarded.
Daily Trust reports that the DSS raided the house on June 14, and recovered the victims, who were said to have been brought to Jos from another state.
The raid of the house, according to the JNI’s Director Aid Group Plateau State chapter, and Chief Security Officer, Jos Central Mosque, Danjuma Khalid, came after one of the victims, Abdulrahman Usaini, who escaped from the house, reported that they had been camped in the house for eight months.
Khalid said the DSS operatives raided the house following JNI’s report.
“On June 13, a group of people including Abdulrahman who ran away from the house met me here in the Central Mosque saying that they had come to report an issue regarding forceful adoption and conversion of their pupils to Christianity by ECWA Church in Jos.
“While narrating the incident, the escapee told me that he and one other, Nura Usama, were forcefully taken by some individuals in a Camry Toyota Car from Gombe, to ECWA headquarters, Jos, and after being documented, they were later taken to a house at Tudun Wada, where they were camped, and that he had ran away, leaving his brother, Nura at the house.
“On June 14, we reported the case to the DSS, Plateau State command, and the escapee narrated to the DSS how they were taken from Gombe to Jos and how he escaped from the house in Tudun Wada area. Immediately after we reported the matter, the DSS swung into action. The operatives of the command went to the house in Tudun Wada alongside the escapee, stormed the premises and rescued 21 children.”
He said when the victims were brought to the DSS State Command, two of the victims – Abdulrahman Usaini and Nura Usama – were handed over to JNI, the uncle to Abdulrahman, and their teacher, while the remaining victims were left under the custody of the DSS until their parents or relatives were found.
Abdulrahman, who is originally from Azare, in Bauchi State, said he was taken to Gombe town for Qur’anic school, from where he was taken to ECWA Church in Jos.
He said sometime in October 2021, while returning to his school located around Pantami area, they were called by some individuals who asked them to wash their car (a Toyota Camry), but they told them that it was already night, but they were immediately shoved into the car.
“They took us to ECWA Church Tumfure, in Gombe, and we spent three weeks there. They told us on the last day of the three weeks that we should get ready to travel to Jos. By 4am of that very day, we were already on the road and by 9am, we arrived at the ECWA Headquarters in Jos. I didn’t know Jos; that was my first time of coming to Jos.
“We told them to take us back to Gombe because our parents didn’t know our whereabouts. They refused, and a day after, they moved us to a house in Tudun Wada where we spent eight months. Throughout the period, we were taught Christian religious knowledge. We were taught different subjects that have to do with Christianity, but we were well taken care of. Whatever you needed, they provided us with it. Food was always available.
“After spending six weeks, we were taken to ECWA Good News located around Ahmadu Bello Way for church service and other church activities.”
Abdulrahman further said on June 13, he was able to escape from the house after he scaled the fence and ran to the town, pleading with people to help him return to Azare in Bauchi State. He was later taken to the Chairman of Cabbage section of Faringada Market, Adamu Alhaji Adamu, who also hails from Azare town.
Source: Daily Trust
