Hanifa: Perpetrators must be severely punished to prevent future occurrences, says Aisha Buhari

Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, says persons involved in the murder of Hanifa Abubakar must receive severe punishment.

Hanifa, a five-year-old pupil, was found dead in January 2022, weeks after she had been declared missing.

Abdulmalik Tanko, proprietor of the school Hanifa attended, had confessed to killing her after keeping the pupil in captivity for weeks.

Tanko had also said he demanded a ransom of N6 million from her parents, and had received N100,000 before he “killed her with rat poison”.

Speaking on Wednesday when she paid a visit to Kano, Aisha Buhari said severe punishment will discourage future reoccurrence of such acts.

“I want to condole the governor, his wife and the entire people of Kano on the sad loss of Hanifa Abubakar. I am aware that the governor has taken the right measures in ensuring that no stone is left unturned,” she said.

“We hope the right punishment will be meted out to the perpetrators of the unfortunate murder.

“This is a very serious situation. We send our children to school and entrust their lives and welfare with the teachers. If these unfortunate incidents can emanate from the teachers, then our society is not safe.

“Therefore, severe punitive measures should be taken on the perpetrators to avoid any future occurrences.”

The first lady said she was also in Kano to commiserate with the state and the family of late Ahmad Bamba, an Islamic cleric, who died on January 7, 2022, in Kano.

“I am in Kano for a private visit to condole the Kano state governor, the emir and the family of Sheikh Ahmad Bamba. May his soul rest in perfect peace. It is indeed a great loss to the state” she added.