Kano shuts private school over kidnap, killing of pupil

Kano Government has ordered an indefinite closure of a private school, Noble Kids Academy, Kano, where a teacher allegedly kidnapped and killed a five-year-old pupil.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Chief Public Relations Officer, State Ministry of Education, Mr. Aliyu Yusuf, on Friday in Kano.

The state Commissioner for Education, Alhaji Sanusi Sa’id-Kiru, had expressed shock over the unfortunate incidence.

“Following an alleged kidnap and subsequent murder of a five-year-old Miss Hanifa Abubakar, a pupil of Noble Kids Academy, Kwanar Dakata, by one of the school teachers, Kano State government has ordered an indefinite closure and withdrawal of operational license of the school.

“The directives for the closure and licence withdrawal is with immediate effect, pending investigation of the case by the state police command,” Sa’id-Kiru said.

The ministry has constituted a committee with the view to assist in investigating the matter for justice to prevail.

The statement called on parents and guardians to desist from taking their wards to the school and its likes.

It further stated that the ministry would continue to work with the committee in checkmating activities of private schools in the state to prevent future occurrence.

READ ALSO: School Proprietor: How I killed 5-year-old pupil with N100 rat poison

The police had arrested the suspected teacher, Mr. Abdulmalik Mohammed-Tanko, 30, and his accomplice, Mr. Hashim Isyaku, 37, over the alleged offence.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna-Kiyawa, said that the suspect had demanded for N6 million ransom from the parents of the girl, before he later poisoned her to death and buried her.

Abdulmalik Tanko, the proprietor of Noble Kids Academy, at Kwanar Dakata in the Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State, had on Friday disclosed how he used a N100 rat poison to kill a five-year-old pupil of the school, Hanifa Abubakar.

Hanifa was reported to have been killed by her proprietor after she was abducted by Tanko in November 2021.

Tanko, who was said to have kidnapped the five-year-old pupil, later contacted the girl’s family and demanded a N6 million ransom.

The proprietor was subsequently arrested by police in the process of collecting part of the N6 million ransom.

Tanko was, however, paraded at the Police Command headquarters in Kano on Friday, saying he killed the pupil with a N100 rat poison.

Speaking at the Command headquarters, the arrested suspect further revealed that he buried Hanifa’s remains in the school premises after she had died of poisoning.

TheStar