Guilty or Not Guilty? Suspected Killer Proprietor Makes U-Turn, Denies Killing 5-year-old Hanifa

• The kidnap and murder trial of 5-year-old Hanifa Abubakar took a different turn after the suspects pleaded not guilty to the crime
• Abdulmalik Tanko, 30, had earlier confessed to the kidnap and trial of Hanifa alongside three other suspects
• However, as he was arraigned in a Kano High Court, Tanko and his co-defendants retracted the confessional statements they made to the police earlier

The proprietor of Nobel Nursery and Primary School in Kano metropolis, Abdulmalik Tanko, on Monday, February 14, retracted his confession to the killing of 5-year-old Hanifa Abubakar.

Tanko during his arraignment before a Kano state High Court pleaded not guilty to the kidnap and subsequent murder of Hanifa in December 2021.

Daily Trust reports that the school proprietor who is the main accused person in the murder trial of Hanifa denied committing the crime alongside his co-defendant.

The three defendants on the crime while appearing before the court pleaded guilty to the first count charge which is a conspiracy to kidnap and commit murder.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to four other crimes levelled against them, including kidnapping, demanding ransom and murder of the victim.

After listening to their plea, the judge over the matter adjourned the trial to Wednesday and Thursday, March 2 and 3 for the commencement of the hearing.

The judge also ordered the accused persons to be remanded in the correctional centre.

Kano school proprietor reveals step-by-step strategy he used to kill 5-year-old Hanifa Abubakar

Five-year-old Hanifa Abubakar was kidnapped by the proprietor of her school, Abdulmalik Tanko, in December 2021.

The police said that Tanko and his accomplice had demanded that a ransom of N6 million be paid by Hanifa's parents.

The suspected criminals had also taken Hanifa to Tanko's wife but she rejected their offer and laced the child's tea with N100 rat poison bought by the school's proprietor.

How school teacher kidnapped, killed, buried adorable 5-year-old girl after demanding N6m ransom

The police command in Kano state has arrested a 30-year-old, Abdulmalik Tanko for abducting and killing a 5-year-old girl, Hanifa.

Tanko was arrested alongside his accomplice, Hassim while trying to receive part of the N6 million they had requested as a ransom for the release of Hanifa.

Hanifa until her death was a student in Noble Kids Nursery and Primary school which was managed by Tanko.

Source: Legit.ng