The owner of a private school, Noble Kids School, has been arrested by the police for kidnapping and killing a 5-year-old student, Hanifa Abubakar.
Family sources said that he was among the first people who came to comfort his parents after the kidnapping.
“He was full of tears when he visited the family to comfort them about the kidnapping,” said the girl‘s uncle, Suraj Sulaiman.
A police statement on Thursday said the school teacher, Abdulmalik Tanko, was the one who kidnapped her.
“At times on 04/12/2021 around 8:30 p.m., a report was received from a resident of Dakata Quarters, Nassarawa LGA, Kano State that Hanifa Abubakar, ‘f’, age 5, was kidnapped and a ransom of six million naira (N6,000,000.00) was demanded,” police command spokesman SP Abdullahi Kiyawa said in a statement.
“Upon receiving the report, the Police Commissioner, Kano State Command, CP Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, fsi meets with the heads of the State Security Agencies, redesigns strategies for the effective provision of services and formed an Operation Puff Adder team led by SP Shehu Dahiru to arrest the culprits.
“Sustained efforts and prolonged monitoring led to the arrest of Abdulmalik Mohammed Tanko, ‘m’, 30, from Tudun Murtala Quarters, Nassarawa LGA, Kano State and Hashim Isyaku, ‘m’, 37. , from the same address by a team of detectives from the Kano State Department of State Service (DSS).
“During the investigation, Abdulmalik confessed that the victim, Hanifa, is his student at a private school in Kwanar Dakata, Nassarawa LGA, Kano State. He kidnapped her and took her to his home where he contacted her relatives and demanded a ransom of six million naira (N6,000,000.00).
“On 12/18/2021, realizing that the victim recognized him, he claimed to have poisoned her to death, conspired with a certain Hashim Isyaku, ‘m’, took her and buried her in a shallow grave located on the premises of the private school. located at Kwanar’ Yan Gana, Tudun Murtala Quarters, Nassarawa LGA, Kano State.
“Hashim also confessed that at times in the month of November 2021, the main suspect, Abdulmalik, met with him and a certain Fatima Jibreel Musa, ‘f’, 27, from Layin Falaki Tudun Murtala Quarters, Nassarawa LGA Kano State and ordered them to kidnap Hanifa. They plan but then rescind their action. Fatima was also arrested.
“The suspects led a combined Kano State DSS Operative Team, Kano State Police Command Medical Team and Operation Puff Adder Team to the scene.
“The body was exhumed and rushed to Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Kano Specialized Hospital, examined, confirmed dead by a doctor, and handed over to relatives for burial according to Islamic rites.
“The case will be charged to court once the investigation is complete.”
