A Kano State High Court, on Thursday, sentenced a school proprietor, Abdulmalik Tanko, to death by hanging for the kidnap and killing of five-year-old pupil, Hanifa Abubakar.
Justice Usman Na’abba also sentenced his accomplice, Isyaku Hashim, to death by hanging for concealment and kidnapping of the five- year-old.
The court, however, jailed the third defendant, Fatima Jibril, two years for conspiracy and attempted conspiracy.
Delivering his judgement, Justice Na’abba, who started with the reading of the case details from date of arraignment to the final court sitting, when he fixed the date for judgement, said at exactly 2:25pm, “The first defendant (Tanko) is hereby sentenced to death by hanging and additional five years for criminal conspiracy.
“The second defendant (Hashim) is hereby sentenced to death by hanging and two years for conspiracy and another three years for attempt to kidnap.
“The third defendant (Fatima Musa), being a mother, has been sentenced to one year for attempt and one year for conspiracy.”
The three accused persons, Abdulmalik and his accomplices, Hashim and Musa, were arraigned before the Kano State High court on a five-count charge of criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, confinement, and culpable homicide contrary to Sections 97, 274, 277, 221 of the Penal Code.
The accused persons were first arraigned on February 7, but the court had to adjourn due to lack of legal representation for the accused persons. They were then re-arraigned on March 2.
Kano State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, M.A Lawan, led the prosecution team, while the defence counsel was led by Barrister Asiya Muhammad Imam of the Legal Aid Council.
At a resumed hearing during the adoption of the final written addresses by all parties, the prosecution led by Lamido Abba Soron Dinki, urged the court to consider the totality of the evidence tendered before it to convict the defendants of the charges leveled against them and sentence them to death.
Hanifa was abducted on December 4, 2021, on her way home from Islamiyya School and later found dead.
Tanko had earlier confessed to kidnapping and killing the five-year-old school pupil with N100 rat poison before burying her in a shallow grave in one of his schools.
But he later denied while admitting to only kidnapping her.
