A Kano state High Court sitting at Audu Bako presided over by Justice Usman Na’abba has sentenced Abdulmalik Tanko to death by hanging for the kidnap and killing of five-year-old Hanifa Abubakar.
Isyaku Hashim, his conspirator, was also sentenced death by hanging for concealment and kidnapping of the five year old.
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The other conspirator Fatima Jibril was, however sentenced to two years for conspiracy and attempt.
The Judge, Justice Usman Na’abba, who sits at exactly 11:14am for the judgement, began with the reading of the case details from date of arraignment to the final court sitting when he fixed the date for judgement.
At exactly 2:25pm, he therefore, announce his sentenced as follows:
That, “The first defendant is hereby sentenced to death by hanging and additional 5 years for criminal conspiracy.
“The second defendant is hereby sentenced to death by Hanging and two years for conspiracy and another three years for attempt to kidnap.
“The third defendant, being a mother, has been sentenced to one year for attempt and one year for conspiracy.”
Recall that the Judge, Justice Usman Na’abba, fixed the date after adoption of final written addresses by parties.
The trio of Abdulmalik alongside his accomplice, Hashim Isyaku and Fatima Jibril Musa, were arraigned before the Kano State High court on five count charges bordering on criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, confinement, and culpable homicide contrary to sections 97, 274, 277, 221 of the penal code.
They were arraigned February 7 where the court adjourned due to lack of legal representation for the accused persons and were rearraigned March 2.
The Prosecution counsel was led by Kano state Attorney General and Commissioner of justice, M.A Lawan while the defense counsel was led by Barrister Asiya Muhammad Imam of legal aid council.
Arabella reported that at a resumed hearing while adopting the final written addresses by all parties, the prosecution led by Lamido Abba Soron Dinki, had urged the court to consider the totality of the evidence tendered before it to find the defendants guilty of the charges leveled against them and sentence them to death.
Arabella reports that Hanifa was abducted on December 4, 2021, on her way home from Islamiyya School and subsequently discovered to have been killed.
Earlier, Tanko confessed to kidnapping and killing the victim with N100 rat poison before burying her in a shallow grave in one of his schools but he recanted later, admitting only to the kidnapping her.