The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ondo State Command, has arrested two Islamic clerics over the alleged brutalisation of two minors in Owo town 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, Owo, were apprehended following allegations of assault and child abuse.
According to a press release issued by the Command on February 5, 2026, the arrest followed a report lodged on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, by a child rights advocacy group, Kids and Teens Resource Centre.
The case was reported to the group by the class teacher of the victims after multiple injuries were discovered on the children’s bodies.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims, whose parents reside in Osun State, had been placed in the care of the clerics to learn the Quran and other Islamic practices while also attending conventional schools in Owo.
The Command disclosed that trouble started when one of the minors brought home a Vivo Android phone which he could not satisfactorily account for, leading to the implication of the second boy. In an attempt to punish them, the clerics allegedly used a heated cutlass on the children’s backs and buttocks, inflicting deep wounds.
Describing the act as a violation of the Child Rights Act and Ondo State Child Protection Law, the NSCDC said the suspects have made confessional statements and would be formally charged to court for offences bordering on assault and child abuse, while the State Commandant, CC Oluyemi Joshua Ibiloye, cautioned religious institutions, parents, and guardians against unlawful disciplinary measures and urged the public to report cases of child abuse to security agencies.
