Nigerian children returned home

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A group of 105 children rescued from suspected people traffickers in Nigeria have been handed back to their parents.

The children were discovered by police two weeks ago, packed into a minibus.

They were taken from villages in the northern state of Kano and were going to a school 400km away, the driver of the minibus said.

The parents said they gave consent for the boys to be taken to the school but anti-trafficking authorities said they may be "complicit" in the crime.

Traditional Islamic education involves sending children away from their homes to learn the Koran.

But many children end up as bonded labourers, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (Naptip) says.

Parents told BBC News it was not the first time they had sent their children away like this.

All the boys are aged between five and 15

Investigation

"It is not for the parents to decide what is human trafficking and what is not," Naptip spokesman Orakwue Arinze said.

"These children would certainly have been abused and molested. The parents may be complicit in it," he said.

The children were first handed over to the Emir of Kano, a well respected regional leader, who then handed them back to their families.

The country's anti-trafficking authorities are still investigating the school in Suleja, Niger state.

Islamic leaders have also called for the system of traditional Islamic schools to be reformed.