Update On Hanifa’s Murder: Court To Pass Judgement On July 28

The case of Abdulmalik Tanko, a school proprietor charged with the alleged murder of a five-year-old pupil, has been adjourned until July 28 by a Kano High Court.
Mr Tanko, Hashimu Isyaku, 37, and Fatima Musa, 26, were charged with criminal conspiracy, attempted kidnapping, abetment, kidnapping, and concealing a dead body by the Kano State Government on February 14, 2014.

The defendants, on the other hand, have entered not guilty pleas to the charges.

After the Defense and Prosecution Counsel adopted their final written addresses, Justice Usman Na’abba set the date.

Earlier, the defence counsel, Hasiya Muhammad, in adopting her final written addresses dated and filed on May 31, prayed the court to consider the defendants and discharge them.

“We urge the court to adopt our written addresses as our oral argument in this case,” she said.

But the prosecution counsel, Deputy Director Public Prosecution, DPP, Rabi Ahmad, in her final written addresses dated and filed June 6, prayed the court to convict and sentence the three defendants as charged.

Mrs Ahmad argued that the second defendant (Isyaku) is standing trial for concealing a dead body contrary to the provisions of Section 277 of the Penal Code and punishable with death under Section 274(b).

“We urge the court to note the content of exhibit 12 (confessional statement) of the second defendant for burying late Hanifa’s corpse,” he said.

The defendants closed its case on May 10 with three witnesses.

The defence witnesses were the three defendants.

The prosecution counsel on April 12, closed its case against the defendants with nine witnesses and tendered 14 exhibits to prove their case.

Mr Tanko, the proprietor of Nobel Kids Comprehensive College, Kano, was alleged to have kidnapped Hanifa, on Dec. 4, 2021, held her hostage in his house at Tudun Murtala for days before killing and buried her in a shallow grave on December 10, 2021.

The offence, the state said, contravened the provisions of sections 97, 95 and 273, 274(b) and 277 of the Penal Code, Laws of Kano State, 1991.