It's been over two years since Abdulmalik Tanko, the proprietor of Nobel Kids Academy, was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of his five-year-old student, Hanifa Abubakar.
Despite an initial relief after the verdict, there are growing concerns about the delay in executing the sentence.
Years after, the family felt justice would not have been fully served if Tanko's death sentence had not been fully addressed.
Tanko confessed to killing Hanifa with rat poison on December 18, 2021. He was sentenced to death by hanging on July 28, 2022, alongside his accomplice, Hashim Isyaku.
However, despite former governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s vow to sign the death warrant, the convicts are still alive and well-fed in Kano prison.
Hanifa's uncle, Suraj Suleiman worries over the delayed justice, describing the memory of the incident as gruesome.
According to Suleiman, “Our demand is justice! Nothing but justice! Not only on Hanifa’s case but on every case that has been brought to book.”
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) confirmed that Tanko is an inmate in one of their facilities, but the state spokesperson, Musbahu Lawan, did not disclose the specific prison for security reasons.
“Tanko is here in Kano and we treat him according to what the law gives the power to treat any inmate who finds himself in our custodial centers,” Lawan said.
Lawan says the NCS is ready to carry out the judgment if approved, noting that over 110 inmates on death row in Kano connote delayed justice, which worsens prison congestion.
He firmly affirmed that “it is our duty, whenever that execution warrant is signed, to execute that order.”
A provision in the amended NCS Act allows the state’s Chief Judge to commute a death sentence to life imprisonment if a prisoner has exhausted all appeals and spent 10 years or more on death row.
Lawan explains that the situation could apply to Tanko and others should the state government fail to take decisive action.
Recently, a Kano High Court sentenced a Chinese national, Frank Geng-Quangrong, and five Vigilante group members to death by hanging for separate murder crimes.
Geng-Quangrong stabbed his Nigerian girlfriend, Ummukulsum Sani to death at her residence in Janbulo quarters, Kumbotso LGA of Kano on September 16, 2022.
Similarly, five members of the vigilance group were to die by hanging for extrajudicially killing a 17-year-old male, Ahmed Musa on January 22, 2022, at Sabon Titi, Panshekara, Kumbotso LGA.
In May 2024, incumbent governor Abba Yusuf vowed, during an International Children’s Day event, to ensure the execution of these convicts to serve as a deterrent.
But amid the political assurances, there are concerns that the situation in Hanifa’s case could be a sign of leniency or weakness on the part of the government.
On his part, Kano Coordinator for the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Shehu Abdullahi, condemned the executive's lack of willpower to execute such cases.
Abdullahi observed that “to the National Human Rights Commission, this is an injustice because if somebody does something and deserves to be killed, definitely that sentence should be executed.
“The problem is purely from the executive side because the executive are the ones to sign the death warrant contained in the sentence.”
When contacted, the state commissioner for justice, Bar. Haruna Isa Dederi, through his spokesperson, Aminu Bello, said Tanko had appealed his conviction.
Dederi clarifies that the execution can only be done after determining the appeal, which also applies to other cases. He only responded via WhatsApp without giving further details, despite several follow-ups.
His WhatsApp message read, “Good morning and afternoon my Colleague how are you doing and coping with the situation? Sorry for the delay.
“Tanko has appealed against his conviction. Execution can only be carried out after the determination of the appeal. It is the same with the other cases. Thank you. Period.”
However, Bar. Bilkisu Ibrahim Suleiman, the Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), explains the legal procedure a condemned criminal may exhaust.
According to her, “a condemned criminal has a 3-month window to appeal to the appellate court, followed by a 1-month window to appeal to the Supreme Court.”
However, while Hanifa’s family and other concerned Nigerians are curious for an update about Tanko’s reported appeal, it appears they will be pleased if further details are provided as to when and where specifically Tanko’s appeal took place and how the ongoing proceeding of the appeal is, if any.
They hope the state government will come out clean to address these questions begging for answers as soon as possible.
