Feb.2, 2022

A Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Kano, on Wednesday fixed Feb. 9, for the trial of a school proprietor, Abdulmalik Tanko, 34, for the alleged murder of five-year-old Hanifa.

The Kano State Government charged Tanko alongside Hashimu Isyaku, 37 and Fatima Musa, 26, with culpable homicide, conspiracy, kidnapping and concealing/keeping in confinement a kidnapped person.

The Kano State Director Public Prosecution, Aisha Mahmoud, informed the court that the State has filed the charge before Kano High Court.

“We filed the charge because the offence alleged to have been committed by the defendants cannot be tried by this court.

“The Kano Chief Judge has directed that the case be transferred to court 5.

“We apply for another date to terminate the First Information Report (FIR) before this court,” she said.

On Dec. 4, 2021, Tanko, being the proprietor of Nobel Kids Comprehensive College, Kano, conspired with the two others to kidnap Hanifa.

Mahmoud earlier alleged that Tanko held Hanifa hostage in his house situated at Tudun Murtala Quarters, Kano, for six days and killed her with a rat poison, put her corpse into a sack and buried her in a shallow grave on Dec. 10, 2021.

“The defendants collected the sum of N100, 000 ransom out of the N6 million earlier requested,”

The pleas of the accused persons were not taken.

She said that the offences contravened the provision of Sections 97, 274, 277 and 221 of the Penal Code.

The Chief Magistrate, Muhammad Jibril, ordered the remand of the defendants in a Correctional Centre.

Jibril adjourned the matter until Feb. 9, for further mention. (NAN)