Appeal Court Upholds Death Sentence On Killer Of 5-yr-old Hanifa

The Court of Appeal sitting in Kano has reaffirmed the death sentence by hanging imposed on Abdulmalik Tanko for the kidnapping and murder of eight-year-old Hanifa Abubakar.

Justice A.R. Muhammad, who delivered the judgement on Tuesday, dismissed Tanko’s appeal and upheld the decision of the Kano State High Court, ruling that the trial court acted correctly in law and in its assessment of evidence before it.

According to the judge, the appellate court found the arguments of the appellant lacking in merit, saying the evidence presented by the respondents was compelling and convincing.

He therefore held that there was no reason to interfere with the judgement of the lower court.

Justice Muhammad also urged the government to ensure that the judgement is enforced once the convict has exhausted all available channels of appeal.

LEADERSHIP reports five year old Hanifa Abubakar was abducted in December 2021 by Abdulmalik Tanko, the proprietor of Noble Kids Academy in Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State.

Tanko had demanded a ransom of N6 million from her family before poisoning her with rat poison, leading to her death.

The incident drew widespread condemnation across the country due to the victim’s age and the betrayal of trust involved, as Tanko was the owner of the school she attended.

Tanko was arraigned on January 24, 2022, alongside Isyaku Hashim and Fatima Jibril on charges bordering on criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, unlawful confinement and culpable homicide.

On July 28, 2022, the Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Usman Na’abba, sentenced the convict and Hashim to death by hanging, while Fatima Jibril was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.