#JusticeForHanifa: School proprietor makes u-turn, denies k!lling his 5-year-old pupil

The proprietor of Nobel Kids Academy and North West Preparatory School, Kwanar Dakata, Nasarawa Local Government Area, Kano State, Abdulmalik Tanko, in connection with alleged m#rder of Hanifa Abubakar, 5, on Monday made a u-turn as he denied k!lling her.

The prime suspect, Tanko, alongside his accomplice, Hashim Isyaku and Fatima Bashir, were arraigned before the Kano State High Court on five count charges bordering on criminal conspiracy, k!dnapping, confinement, and culpable hom!cide contrary to section 97, 274, 277, 221 of the penal code.

According to the police, Tanko had earlier confessed to po!son!ng the little Hanifa with N100 rat po!s#n when he realised that she had recognised him. When the matter came up before the court presided over by Justice Usman Na’abba, the defendants pleaded guilty to the first count charge bordering on conspiracy and denied the remaining four-count charges.

READ ALSO: Schoolteacher and accomplice arrested for abducting, k!lling and burying a 5-year-old girl -OsmekNews

The defence counsel led by Bar. Mukhtar Usman Kabo (Legal Aid Counsel) however prayed the court to grant its prayers to prepare its lawyers for a speedy trial. The prosecution Counsel, led by the State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Musa Lawan asked the court to allow them to present their evidence at the next hearing.

The Judge, Justice Na’abba, however adjourned the case till 2nd and 3rd March, 2022 for hearing and ordered the defendants to be remanded in custody.