Hanifa Abubakar: Court Fixes Judgment Date For Suspected Killers

A High Court in Kano has fixed a date for the judgment of the case of a school proprietor, Abdulmalik Tanko, charged with the alleged murder of five-year-old pupil Hanifa Abubakar.

Ezenwoko’s Blog understands that the Kano State Government in February filed five counts of criminal conspiracy, attempt to kidnap, abetment, kidnapping and concealing dead body against Tanko, Hashimu Isyaku, 37, and Fatima Musa, 26.

Tanko, the proprietor of the 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 defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Justice Usman Na’abba, fixed July 28  after the Defence and Prosecution Counsel adopted their final written addresses.

Earlier, the defence counsel, Mrs 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.

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

Ahmad argued that the second defendant (Isyaku) is standing trial for concealing 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.