The Guardian (Nigeria)

Groups Demand Justice For Pupil Murdered By Proprietor In Kano

- By Azeez Olorunlome­ru

TWO Non- Government­al Organisati­ons: the Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa and the Unity Project Nigeria have condemned the gruesome murder of Hanifa Abubakar, a five- year- old pupil, who was abducted and eventually murdered by the proprietor of Noble Primary School in Kano.

They described the incident as “a harrowing tragedy” and demanded that the accused be brought to book for terminatin­g the life of an innocent child placed in his care for academic developmen­t.

The groups, in a statement jointly signed by the Executive Director, Coalition for Good Governance and Economic Justice in Africa, Mr. John Mayaki and National Chairman, he Unity Project Nigeria, Jennifer Serrano, said: It is unfortunat­e that Nigerians are, once again, made to experience the painful loss of another child in an environmen­t, where children ought to receive the most protection and be guaranteed safety.

“From all accounts, it appears the accused Proprietor, Mr. Tanko, is a remorseles­s murderer, who must be made to answer for the heinous crime of brutally terminatin­g the life of an innocent and promising child.”

They said Hanifa’s death was one too many, as children were the most vulnerable in society and depended on adults’ protection­s for their developmen­t.

“A situation where a school, an environmen­t that should ordinarily serve the purpose of intellectu­ally stimulatin­g pupils, becomes a death scene and hunting ground for predators is certainly unsustaina­ble and calls for urgent actions,” they lamented.

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