The Tragic End Of A 5-Year-Old Pupil In Kano

Abdulmalik Tanko and Hanifa Abubakar

The death of Hanifa Abubakar, the 5-year-old pupil of Noble Kids Nursery and primary school, Kawana, Kano has shocked the nation. She was kidnapped on December 2, 2021.

What is baffling about the demise of late Hanifa is not her tender age, beauty, innocent looks or been the only child of her parents, but the news that she was kidnapped and subsequently killed by her teacher cannot be fathomed. The poor, little and helpless girl had been in the captivity of her captor for 45 days before he, along with his accomplices killed her, dismembered the body and buried it at the premises of the school he superintendent. Only God knew the abuses and sufferings the hapless child had gone through before he killed her.

You can imagine how you would feel if you were Malam Abubakar Abdussalam, the father of the slained Hanifa, or malama Fatima Maina, her mother. I feel the agony and anguish of the parents because I also lost an angel like Hanifa in 1995. My heart bleeds for late Hanifa and I share the grief and perturbation of her father and mother.

The cruelty meted on the deceased, by none other than her teacher has invited august visitors within Kano state to throng the house to condole the family over the demise of their daughter. Wives of former governors of Kano state, religious leaders, among other dignitaries, were the early callers at the deceased’s house to condole the grieving family.

As days pass by, condolences have been pouring into the family of the deceased. Worthy of mention is the consoling message from President Muhammdu Buhari and some governors to the family. The concerns of some notable Nigerians about the death of Hanifa and the public outcry and appeal by Nigerians demanding for justice for the deceased are consoling not only to her immediate family, but to all Nigerians who condemned the gruesome murder of the child.

The death of Hanifa, as cruel and condemnable as it is, has predictably raised a heated debate about parenting, community vigilance, role of traditional rulers and the urgent need for death sentence for kidnappers, rapists and bandits in our laws.

Parents must be more vigilant now more than ever to protect children from predators. Residents in the neighborhood should work with the traditional leadership and religious authorities to identify challenges, issues and concerns that emerge at the neighborhood by gathering information that will assist in combating violent crime. And, above all; ‘’a life for a life’’ as enshrined in the spirit of retributive justice canon should be enforced in Hanifa’s case. This is the only punishment that will provide justice for Hanifa and give a sense of satisfaction for her family members and the society in general.

Even though Hanifa died before she could be rescued, it is pleasing that her death would not go in vain. The governor of Kano state, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has assured that the state government would continue to ‘’ meticulously monitor and ensure the prosecution of anyone found culpable in the kidnap and murder of Hanifa Abubakar’’.

While most teachers write their history in letters of gold, it is unfortunate that Abdulmalik Tanko, the wicked teacher who kidnapped and killed a 5-year pupil writes his own history in letters of blood. He deceived the police and parents of the deceased by misleading the investigation team. Two weeks after he killed her, he was always at the house of malam Abubakar under the guise of a concerned ‘’uncle’’ to ‘’console’’ the family. Hanifa, his innocent victim, died a martyr’s death. Tanko is the looser. He did not get the ransom with which he would use to expand his school, the reason that attracted him to commit the crime. And the attempt to cover up the crime by butchering Hanifa for fear that she would expose him has ended in fiasco, as he is now caught and under investigation.

The case of Hanifa has raised questions on the proliferation of private schools in Nigeria and the need for parents and government to scrutinize private schools and proprietors to forestall recurrence of betrayal of trust by teachers and proprietors.

We commend the commissioner of Education of Kano state, Muhammed Sanusi Kiru for swinging into action by immediately closing down Noble Nursery and Primary school, pending the outcome of the investigation. We must praise the police and the secret service for apprehending the perpetrators and hope that the late Hanifa would get justice, and the law will take its course on Mr. Tanko to ensure that he reaps what he sows.

May the Almighty Allah accept Late Hanifa into aljannatil firdaus and give the family the strength and the fortitude to bear the pains of her demise.

Saleh Bature wrote in this piece

from Limpopo Street, Maitama

Abuja. He is reachable at

[email protected]