- Lauds law enforcement agencies for nabbing culprits
President Muhammadu Buhari has condoled with the family of a five-year-old school girl, Hanifa Abubakar, whose body was discovered in a shallow grave in Kano after nearly two months of fruitless search.
Similarly, the President commended the painstaking work by the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in unravelling the mystery behind the disappearance of Hanifa, and particularly the arrest of her School teacher and other suspects in the child’s kidnap and eventual murder.
A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, quoted the President as saying the family and the whole nation, in following up on Hanifa’s travail every day since her disappearance in December 2021, were really hoping that she would be rescued alive and well.
However, the President noted that the very thorough and painstaking detective operation by the law enforcement bodies, leading to the discovery of the corpse and the arrest of the suspects who have already made confessions was commendable.
Describing the development as an achievement that should instill more public confidence in the authorities, President Buhari said; “When breakthroughs like this happen, people will talk differently of law enforcement.”
The President, who prayed for the repose of the soul of little girl Hanifa, urged her parents to bear the sad loss with courage and fortitude in God, even as he charged the Police and Ministry of Justice to uphold the integrity of the detective work that busted the case by preparing well and presenting a good case that will earn the respect of the court.
The principal suspect in the murder case, Abdulmalik Tanko had confessed to killing a five-year-old, Hanifa Abubakar with N100 rat poison.
Abdulmalik, who is a school proprietor, made the confession on Friday claiming that his precarious financial situation and huge indebtedness led him to kill the innocent girl.
