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The Court of Appeal sitting in Kano has reaffirmed the death sentence imposed on Abdulmalik Tanko for the kidnapping and murder of five-year-old Hanifa Abubakar.
Justice A. R. Muhammad, who delivered the judgment on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, dismissed Tanko’s appeal and upheld the decision of the Kano State High Court. He ruled that the trial court acted correctly in law and properly evaluated the evidence presented before it.
According to the judge, the appellate court found the appellant’s arguments to be without merit, noting that the evidence presented by the prosecution was compelling and convincing. He held that there was no justification to interfere with the judgment of the lower court.
Justice Muhammad further urged the government to ensure that the judgment is enforced once the convict has exhausted all available avenues of appeal.
Hanifa was abducted in December 2021 by Abdulmalik Tanko, the proprietor of Noble Kids Academy in the Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State. Tanko had demanded a ransom of ₦6 million from her family before injecting her with rat poison, which led to her death.
The incident sparked nationwide outrage and condemnation due to the victim’s young age and the breach of trust involved, as Tanko was the owner of the school Hanifa attended.
Tanko was arraigned on January 24, 2022, alongside Isyaku Hashim and Fatima Jibril, on charges bordering on criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, unlawful confinement, and culpable homicide.
On July 28, 2022, the Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Usman Na’abba, sentenced Tanko and Hashim to death by hanging, while Fatima Jibril was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.
