Solved case · 2021
The short answer
Five-year-old Hanifa Abubakar was kidnapped outside her Islamic school in Kano, Nigeria, in December 2021 by the proprietor of her school, who later poisoned and killed her and buried her body on school grounds; he and an accomplice were sentenced to death in 2022.
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Suggest coverage for Murder of Hanifa AbubakarHanifa Abubakar was a five-year-old Nigerian girl, the only daughter of her parents, who lived in Kano State, Nigeria. She attended an Islamic school at Kwanar Dakata, in the Nassarawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
On December 2, 2021, Hanifa was kidnapped outside her school by Abdulmalik Tanko, the proprietor of Noble Kids Academy, the school she attended. Tanko took her to his house in Tudun Murtala, Nassarawa Local Government Area, and told his wife that the child was the daughter of a teacher who was traveling. On December 4, 2021, Tanko contacted Hanifa's family and demanded a ransom of ₦6,000,000 (approximately $14,600).
On December 18, 2021, Tanko came to believe that Hanifa could recognize him. After drinking tea that night, he poured the remaining tea into an empty container of a children's yoghurt drink and added rat poison to it. He then removed Hanifa from his house, where she had been sleeping, telling her he was taking her to her uncle's house. On the way, he gave her the poisoned drink, which she consumed. He told her he needed to collect something from one of his schools at Kwanar Yan Gana, Tudun Murtala, Nassarawa. Hanifa died after they entered the school premises. Tanko placed her body in a sack and buried her in a shallow grave with the assistance of an accomplice, Hashim Isyaku.
Following sustained investigation by the Nigerian Police Force and the Department of State Security (DSS), Tanko was arrested. He confessed to kidnapping and killing Hanifa after realizing she could identify him, and to conspiring with Hashim Isyaku to bury her body at the school. Following his arrest, Tanko and Isyaku led DSS operatives, police, and a police medical team to the grave site, where the body was exhumed and taken to Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Specialists Hospital in Kano for examination before being released to the family for burial.
The case drew significant national and international media attention, with the hashtag #JusticeForHanifa trending on social media. In response, Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje revoked the operating licenses of all private schools in the state. On January 24, 2022, unidentified individuals set fire to the Noble Kids Academy premises.
On January 24, 2022, Abdulmalik Tanko, Hashim Isyaku, and Fatima Jibril were arraigned before a magistrate court in Kano on charges including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, unlawful confinement of a kidnapped person, and culpable homicide. On July 28, 2022, a Kano State High Court sentenced Tanko and Isyaku to death, while Jibril received a two-year prison sentence.
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Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Five-year-old girl kidnapped and murdered by the proprietor of her school.[5]
Proprietor of Noble Kids Academy; sentenced to death for kidnapping and murder of Hanifa Abubakar.[5]
Co-accused; sentenced to two years imprisonment.[5]
Accomplice who helped bury Hanifa's body; sentenced to death.[5]
From the record
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
Jul 13, 2026Correction
Catalog QA: Added the documented abduction-to-killing range.
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