A Quranic teacher in Ouagadougou is facing prosecution for allegedly detaining and torturing a 13-year-old talibé (student) in the Sakoula neighborhood.
According to a statement issued Wednesday by Bakouli Blaise Bazié, the Public Prosecutor at the Ouaga I High Court, the incident occurred in October 2025. The magistrate described the case as one of “extreme gravity” and an act of “unspeakable cruelty.”
The case came to light after the Regional Child Protection Brigade was alerted by the Provincial Directorate of Humanitarian Action in Kadiogo. Initial findings revealed that the child had been tied up, confined, and deprived of food by his teacher.
The abuse was so severe that it caused advanced tissue damage to both of the boy’s hands, requiring emergency medical treatment to prevent amputation.
The victim was taken in by the Red Cross and later transferred to Saint-Camille Hospital, where he is now in stable condition thanks to the swift intervention of humanitarian services.
Witnesses said the child was punished for failing to bring back a sum of money demanded by his teacher.
The suspect was handed over to the police by members of the Federation of Quranic School Associations, an act the prosecutor praised as a demonstration of “community vigilance and responsibility.”
Following the investigation, the teacher was brought before the prosecutor on November 6, 2025, and placed in pre-trial detention. He faces charges of unlawful confinement, torture, and assault, with his trial scheduled for November 19, 2025.
Prosecutor Bazié stressed that “a child entrusted for spiritual education is not a slave,” warning that any form of child exploitation under the guise of religious instruction is a criminal offense punishable by one to ten years in prison and fines of up to two million CFA francs, under the Penal Code.
Reaffirming the prosecution’s zero-tolerance policy toward child abuse, he vowed to “act firmly against anyone who turns a place of learning into a living hell for a child.”
He also called on the public to report any suspected cases of abuse, reminding citizens that “vigilance can save lives.”
HO/te/lb/as/APA