President Muhammadu Buhari has called on the relevant bodies to ensure justice is served in the murder of Hanifa Abubakar, the five-year-old schoolgirl killed in Kano State.

He ordered the police and the Ministry of Justice to uphold the integrity of the detective work that busted the case by preparing well and presenting a good case that will earn the respect of the court.
The President gave the directive in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, in reaction to the death of little Hanifa who was initially abducted in December last year.
He expressed the nation’s condolences to the family of the schoolgirl whose body was discovered in a shallow grave in Kano after almost two months of fruitless search.
President Buhari commended the police and the secret service for unravelling the mystery behind the disappearance of Hanifa, and particularly for the arrest of her teacher and his accomplices suspected of the child’s kidnap and murder.
According to him, the family and the whole nation which followed up on Hanifa’s travail every day since her disappearance were hoping for the girl to have returned home alive and well.
The President stated that the thorough and painstaking detective operation by the law enforcement bodies, leading to the discovery of her remains and the arrest of the suspects who have already made confessions, was commendable.
He described it as an achievement that should instill more public confidence in the authorities, adding, “when breakthroughs like this happen, people will talk differently of law enforcement.”
President Buhari prayed for the repose of the soul of the little schoolgirl and urged her parents to bear the sad loss with courage and fortitude in God.
Until her death, Hanifa was a pupil of a private school – Noble Kids Academy in Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
The Public Relations Officer in the state, Haruna Kiyawa, confirmed her death to journalists, saying her teacher, one Abdulmalik Tanko, was indicted in the murder.
Abdulmalik, Kiyawa stated, confessed that he kidnapped Hanifa and took her to his house where he contacted her relatives and demanded a ransom of N6 million.
He later conspired with one Hashim Isyaku to kill the girl on December 18, 2021, having realised that the victim had recognised him.
Hanifa was buried in a shallow grave within the school premises located at Kwanar ‘Yan Gana in Tudun Murtala Quarters.
Earlier, the Kano State Government has ordered the immediate closure of a private school, Noble Kids Academy, in Nassarawa Local Government Area of the state, where abductors of a pupil, Hanifa Abubakar, were said to have killed and buried her remains.
Five-year-old Hanifa was abducted late last year and one of those involved in the operation was her teacher, Abdulmalik Mohammed Tanko.
The abductors demanded a ransom of N6million but went ahead to kill her after receiving the money.
“On investigation, Abdulmalik confessed that the victim, Hanifa was his student at a private school in Kwanar Dakata, Nassarawa LGA, Kano State.
He kidnapped her and took her to his house where he contacted her relatives and demanded a ransom of Six Million Naira (N6,000,000),” the Public Relations Officer of the Kano Police Command, Haruna Kiyawa.
“On the 18/12/2021, having realised that the victim recognized him, he claimed to have poisoned her to death, conspired with one Hashim Isyaku and buried her in a shallow grave within the private school premises located at Kwanar ‘Yan Gana, Tudun Murtala Quarters, Nassarawa LGA, Kano State.”
Across social media, the hashtag #JusticeForHanifa began to trend late Thursday, with many sympathising with the family and calling for justice to be served.
Hanifa was said to have been kidnapped late last year and her abductors, one of which was her teacher, had demanded N6 million ransom.
But according to the police, after collecting the N6 million, she was murdered and buried in a shallow grave.
“On investigation, Abdulmalik confessed that the victim, Hanifa was his student at a private school in Kwanar Dakata, Nassarawa LGA, Kano State. He kidnapped her and took her to his house where he contacted her relatives and demanded a ransom of Six Million Naira (N6,000,000),” the PPRO said.
“On the 18/12/2021, having realised that the victim recognized him, he claimed to have poisoned her to death, conspired with one Hashim Isyaku and buried her in a shallow grave within the private school premises located at Kwanar ‘Yan Gana, Tudun Murtala Quarters, Nassarawa LGA, Kano State.