Abdulmalik Tanko, the proprietor of Noble Kids School, Warshu Hospital Road, in Kawaji, Kano State, has denied involvement in the death of Hanifa Abubakar.
Abubakar is a five-year-old student of the school who was reported missing after she was abducted by Tanko and found dead.
Tanko appeared on Monday at the High Court number 5, sitting at Audu Bako, and made the denial.
Hanifa
The court was presided over by Justice Usman Na’abba.
Tanko, who previously admitted to conspiracy, denied the remaining three charges against him, including kidnap and subsequent killing of the young girl.
He, however, admitted to locking her up, he said, “I am not sure if I am the last person who saw her alive because I have earlier communicated to someone else about it. I did neither kill nor poisoned her. I left her sleeping and came back to see her dead.
“Myself, the second and third defendants did not know how she died.”
It was gathered that the little girl was; whisked away to an unknown destination while coming back from an Islamiyya school known as Dahiru Bauchi, on Saturday, December 4, 2021.
Hanifa’s uncle, Suraju said that the incident occurred around 5pm, adding that the abductors came in a tricycle, locally called; Keke Marwa.
He stated that the unknown; abductors promised to give the girl and some other children coming from the Islamiyya school a lift home but she was; taken away.
Suraju said the other children who witnessed the incident told him how Hanifa was; abducted.
Tanko had demanded a; N6million ransom from the parents of the child and in the process of collecting part of the money, he was; arrested.
He had; failed to disclose that the victim had been killed.
