Abdulmalik Tanko, the school teacher who confessed to abducting and killing his 5-year-old pupil, Hanifa Abubakar, has denied the murder charges levelled against him in a Kano High Court sitting.
This is coming after the Kano state government filed a five-count charge against Mr Tanko, alongside two of his accomplices, Hashimu Isyaku and Fatima Jibrin, before a High Court 5 in the state.
The trio was charged with Criminal Conspiracy, Kidnapping, Concealing/Keeping in Confinement a Kidnapped Person and Culpable Homicide, contrary to Sections 97, 274, 277, 221 of the Penal Code.
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At the continuation of the trial, Abdulmalik Tanko and Hashimu also denied allegations that Hanifa was poisoned and buried in a school, as seen in a video earlier in the day.
They only responded to one-third of the charges read to them, which was conspiracy.
Fatima, one of the suspects, also denied allegations read to her by writing a letter to Hanifa’s parents stating that a ransom of N6 million was required on behalf of Abdulmalik Tanko.
Similarly, Fatima denied all the allegations levelled against her.
While speaking to journalists, defence Counsel Barrister Mukhtar Labaran Usman noted that; “Some of the charges read to them were denied by them. We are prepared to go into hearing on 2nd and 3rd of March.”
“Five count charges were slammed on my client, and they acknowledge the first count, which is a conspiracy and denied the rest”.
The presiding Judge, Justice Usman Naabba, adjourned the case to March 2 and March 3 for hearing.
Hanifa Abubakar was abducted on December 4, 2021. On her way back from Islamiyya, she was subsequently discovered to have been killed by her teacher and school proprietor, Abdulmalik Tanko, after demanding N6m ransom at Dakata, Nasarawa local government area of Kano State.
