TheCable

The Kano government has filed criminal charges before the state high court against Abdulmalik Tanko, the self-confessed killer of Hanifa Abubakar, a five-year-old girl.

Tanko was paraded by the police after confessing to the murder of the girl. He is the proprietor of Noble Kids Comprehensive College — the school Hanifa attended.

The school owner had confessed to the murder while answering questions on his involvement in the crime.

He had said he killed Hanifa with “rat poison” and buried her body in the school premises with the help of a friend.

The Kano state government had, through a first information report (FIR), brought Tanko, alongside other suspects — Hashimu Isyaku and Fatima Musa — before a chief magistrate court on charges bordering on culpable homicide, conspiracy, kidnapping and concealing/keeping in confinement a kidnapped person.

An FIR is a document showing the initial information presented to the police on the commission of an offence.

Speaking on Wednesday, Aisha Mahmoud, Kano state director of public prosecution, informed the court that the state has filed the charge before the Kano high court.

“We filed the charge because the offence alleged to have been committed by the defendants cannot be tried by this court,” she said.

“The Kano chief judge has directed that the case be transferred to court 5.

“We apply for another date to terminate the first information report (FIR) before this court.”

Muhammad Jibril, the chief magistrate, ordered that the defendants should remain in a correctional centre.

He adjourned the matter until February 9 for further mention.