11 arrested as Kano police probe killing of two boarding school students

The Kano state Police command has arrested 11 students of Government Boarding Secondary School, Bichi, in connection with the killing of two of their junior schoolmates.

The arrests come days after the death of two junior students, Hamza Idris-Tofawa and Umar Yusuf-Dungurawa, who were allegedly assaulted by a group of senior.

The deceased were reportedly lured into a hostel where they were beaten with local metal objects known as “Gwale-Gwale” as a form of punishment.

Two other students sustained injuries during the incident, which occurred within the school premises.

Confirming the development to TheCable on Wednesday, Abdullahi Kiyawa, spokesperson of the Kano police command, said the suspects are currently in custody and would be prosecuted accordingly.

Yusuf Ado Yakasai, the school principal, said the deceased students were allegedly being punished for a yet-to-be-disclosed offence.

He said the seniors acted on their own, without the knowledge or approval of the school’s management.

Following the incident, the Kano state government ordered a full-scale investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Speaking on the matter, Ali Haruna Makoda, the state’s commissioner for education, condemned the violence and warned students across the state not to take the law into their own hands.

Makoda also extended condolences to the families of the deceased students, assuring them that justice would be served.

Also speaking, Abbas Abdullahi, director of the Kano Senior Secondary Schools Management Board, urged students not to abuse the authority or privileges granted to them in school settings.

He noted that peer-led disciplinary actions are not permitted and called on all school administrators to reinforce regulations guiding student conduct.