THE UNJUST ARREST AND DETENTION OF SOLOMON TARFA OF DU-MERCI ORPHANAGE IN KANO

Du-Merci Children Development Ministry is a Kano-based NGO that is registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in Nigeria. The Home started as a passion to carter for orphans by the Founder Dr. Solomon Musa Tarfa and his wife. I first became aware of the Orphanage in 2002 or 2003 when I represented Benevolence International Care Trust Initiative at the formers' Year-end Appreciation Event. That was where I met this couple that has dedicated the past twenty-eight years of their lives helping humanity through caring for the little ones that cannot care for themselves.

Shortly before then, the child-care orphanage had run into a problem with the authorities of Kano State. In what I believed to be a religiously-motivated move, the couple were arrested and the home shut down. Through the intervention of some well-meaning individuals in the UK and the involvement of the late Emir of Kano, HRH Emir Ado Bayero, the court speedily struck out the case brought against them in three sittings and the home was reopened. Being one of the homes, the NGO I am involved with support, I have had the privilege to observe at close quarters the level of care and affection children brought up from this particular Orphanage home enjoy when compared to the other homes in the state.

Looking at the children, many of whom are now responsible adults in society, one will hardly believe they were orphans. Du-Merci was always our point of reference whenever we have had cause to advise the other homes on why they need to raise the level of hygiene in their various homes. Again, we also found we do not have to worry whether or not the donations we made to the home will be diverted to the personal homes of the administrators of this home as was the case in some other homes where we had to limit our contributions to repairs and maintenance services. Aside from the Mentally Retarded Children Home in Tudun Maliki, the other three homes in Kano State have always participated in BICTi's End-of-the-year Orphanage Party. When that annual party held this year (28th December 2019), children from Du-Merci were the only ones absent.

When I inquired, it turned out the founder of the home and some staff were being held behind bars by the Police under the reported instructions of the State Commissioner of Police. Further investigations revealed they were under a so-called investigation for human trafficking by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) since November 29th, 2019. Having being illegally detained without prove of offense they were made to pay bail on that same day at NAPTIP office in Kano after their Lawyer and Dr. Kachikwu intervened. The bail was on the condition the couple were to report to the NAPTIP office every two days and sign off their presence. This continued till the Christmas period when, due to uncontrollable circumstances, one of the couple could not show up at NAPTIP.

The drama escalated when on Christmas Day, a high-powered group of police officers allegedly led by the ACP and local DPO invaded the home and arrested the founders, his staff and carted away about 18 children leaving the wife and one other person in the building. There was no proof of warrant of arrest presented. Despite several attempts to get the police to establish the exact case against these do-gooders by Christain Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria(PFN) Kano Chapter leaders, the police are yet to make a concrete case for Dr. Tarfa's continued detention without trial four days and counting after the arrest. Children themselves as little as 3 years were interrogated are now being kept at the state-owned Nasarawa Children Home.

From the interview I have managed to have with Mrs Tarfa, this whole hullabaloo is religiously motivated. Underneath all these is an accusation of 'forcefully' converting children from Muslim homes to Christians. Most of the children who are brought to this home are majorly below the age of two and barely know what religion is not to talk about making claim to an affiliation. Logically, someone brought up in a Christian home is most likely to adopt the faith practiced in the home of his or her upbringing. How this amount to 'forced' conversion beats my imagination. Maybe I need an education.

I have gotten the media involved and you will be reading more about this from other media platforms in the next few days. The police version of the story will also be factored. I understand the administrators of the home have provided all the papers detailing their registration with CAC and the police are asking for papers from the State.

Corporate Affairs Commission is the body authorized for registration of such organizations in Nigeria, not State. They are also asking for paper for every single child that has passed through the home since inception. These are good things but anyone familiar with such movements in Nigeria knows that it usually starts as a passion to help before metamorphosing into full-fledged registered care organizations. As such, I doubt if they can provide papers for kids in their early days that are now adults. The only thing I know is that I have met and know a couple of the children who are now adults with their own families and they are solidly behind the founder and are ready to testify on his behalf.

But here are the reasons I am writing, if this is religiously motivated, it has to stop and never happen again. Police should stop intimidating people; things ought to follow due legal process after facts have been established.

• Why do they have to pay bail when the offense has not been established nor charged to court?
• Why did they choose a Christmas day, a holiday for that matter?
• Why is police claiming ignorance of documents already presented to NAPTIP?

I am calling on the police to address the media and provide answers to these. I call on well-meaning individuals and organizations around the globe to add their voice to this to ensure fair and square justice for the Tarfas so that the family balance these children enjoyed under their care will not be truncated. With the eye of the media, I hope justice will be fast-tracked and if they are found guilty, they should face the music or otherwise they should be released.