Justice Usman Na’abba of Kano High Court, says the school proprietor Abdulmalik Tanko and his accomplice confessional statements were taken voluntarily without threat or torture for alleged murder of 5-year-old Hanifa Abubakar.
He explained that,there was no evidence to prove that the suspects were not responsible for their earlier statement.
“The prosecution said that the confessional statements of the defendants was recorded in a detective room, good atmosphere and presence of colleagues” the judge explained.
The trial judge maintained that, the defence counsel did not provide sufficient proof to the court that the defendants were tortured and did not voluntarily wrote the statement.
Recall that during trial-within-trial, the defence counsel told the court that the statements of Tanko and Fatima were taken under threat and compulsion urging the court to discountenance the statement.
The prime suspect Abdulmalik Tanko, also revealed that he was electrocuted and threatened with dangerous weapons by security agents, while making a statement that he claimed he refused to sign.
The prosecution counsel, Attorney General of Kano State, Barrister Musa Abdullahi Lawan, presented two investigation officers to tender the defendants confessional statements before the court.
“The defendants were not threatened and they cooperated with the police by telling us how Tanko kidnapped Hanifa and how they were involved in the case”.
The defence counsel, Barrister M L Usman, during cross-examination asked the investigation officers if the second and third defendants were
deceived to commit the offence, adding that Fatima was not the initiator of the letter demanding for N6 million ransom.
Sixth Prosecution Witness, Yampa said yes she was deceived and she told him Tanko wrote the letter while she was giving a paper to copy the letter.
Radio Nigeria reports that, Abdulmalik Tanko, being the proprietor of Nobel Kids Comprehensive College Kano had on December 4, kidnapped, held Hanifa hostage in his house situated at Tudun Murtala for days and killed her with a poison.
In the process the second defendant Isyaku buried her in a shallow grave at the premises of Northwest preparatory School situated at Kwanar Yan Ghana Tudun Murtala Kano and Fatima wrote a letter demanding for ransom.
According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened section 97, 95 and 273,274(b) and 277 of the Penal Code Laws of Kano State 1991.
Seven witnesses have so far testified during the trial on behalf of the state.
Justice Na’abba adjourned the matter until March 22 for continuation of hearing.
KHADIJAH ALIYU
