The centre provides accommodation for these children, who view them as parents and are educated and cared for until they are able to live successful independent lives.
According to the October 7 report by CSW, the facility also accommodates young women who are pregnant out of wedlock, until they give birth, reconciling them whenever possible with parents who had rejected them due to social stigma.
Local sources have told the Christian entity that Prof. Tarfa was initially accused of not having a licence to operate an orphanage. “However, once his wife produced documentation proving the orphanage was duly registered to operate, the charges were allegedly changed to criminal abduction of minors,” the organization reports.
“This is not the first time the professor has been arrested in an attempt to close down the orphanage,” the leadership of CSW bemoans, adding in reference to the professor, “He was initially detained in 2002 following a similar raid on the orphanage.”
However, the Christian entity continues, “a High Court ruled that the Du Merci Centre was duly registered and was conducting a legitimate endeavor. The court also ordered the return of children who had been removed from the orphanage.”
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In a past report, Mervyn called for transparency in handling the professor’s case, including identifying the home from which the accused had reportedly kidnapped children,
“We commend every effort to address the abduction of minors in a proactive manner, and are aware of several cases where this is alleged to have occurred,” Mr. Mervyn said.
He added in the June 25 report, “CSW urges the authorities in Kano to focus on ensuring redress in these and other genuine cases, rather than dissipating resources on potentially malicious prosecutions or cases where charges cannot be substantiated.”
The foundation that advocates for the rights of people experiencing all forms of persecution also reported that twenty-seven children who were seized during the raids at the orphanage were subsequently placed in the government-run Nasarawa Children’s Home in Kano City.
Sixteen of the children, the foundation notes, have remained at the government facility ever since, unable to attend school or church, and are also reportedly suffering mistreatment on account of their religious belief.
In January 2021, the authorities began the process of forcibly relocating the younger children from the government-run home, a situation that CSW reports raised concerns for the children’s continued physical and psychological wellbeing.
“So far, five children aged between three and eight have been transferred to an isolated rural location, where their names have been changed,” the human rights foundation reported, and added, “Additionally, the Tarfa’s legal representative has been denied access to the children who are still in the government-run home in the State capital.”
Mr. Mervyn decried what he referred to as psychological trauma that he said continued to be inflicted on the Du Merci children, noting that some of the children were vulnerable preschoolers.
The Founder President of CSW termed the treatment of the vulnerable children as “unnecessary, incalculable and unacceptable.”
Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.
