The Kano Chief Magistrates’ Court has fixed February 9 for the trial of a school proprietor, Abdulmalik Tanko, 34, for murdering five-year-old Hanifa.

The Kano government charged the school owner alongside Hashimu Isyaku, 37 and Fatima Musa, 26, with culpable homicide, conspiracy, kidnapping and concealing/keeping in confinement a kidnapped person.

The Kano’s Director Public Prosecution, Aisha Mahmoud, informed the court that the government had filed the charge before the Kano High Court.

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

On December 4, 2021, the Nobel Kids Comprehensive College’s proprietor conspired with the other accused to kidnap Miss Hanifa.

Ms Mahmoud alleged that the school owner held Miss Hanifa hostage in his house situated at Tudun Murtala Quarters, Kano, for six days. The proprietor later killed the pupil with rat poison, put her corpse in a sack and buried her in a shallow grave on December 10, 2021.

“The defendants collected the sum of N100,000 ransom out of the N6 million earlier requested,” the director stated. She added that the offences contravened sections 97, 274, 277 and 221 of the Penal Code.

The pleas of the accused persons were not taken.

Chief Magistrate Muhammad Jibril ordered the remand of the defendants in prison custody. Mr Jibril adjourned the matter until February 9 for further mention. 

(NAN)