A Kano Chief Magistrates’ Court on Friday discharged Jamila Sani, wife of Abdulmalik Tanko, the principal suspect in the alleged murder of a five-year-old girl, Hanifa Abubakar.
Tanko is the school proprietor who is alleged to have masterminded Hanifa’s kidnap and murder.
On March 3, his wife testified as a prosecution witness before the court, saying Tanko told her that the minor was his staff member’s daughter.
Kano State Government charged Tanko, Hashimu Isyaku and Fatima Musa, all of Tudun Murtala Quarters, Kano, with criminal conspiracy, attempt to kidnap, abetment/kidnapping and concealment of a corpse.
Sani was charged with keeping the kidnapped Hanifa in her house situated at Tudun Murtala Quarters, Kano for five days.
Sani was alleged to have kept the minor hostage knowing full well that she was kidnapped by her husband and refused to disclose it to any person.
Discharging her, Chief Magistrate Muhammad Jibril ordered that she should be released to her family.
This followed an application by the prosecution counsel Lamido Soron-Dinki.
“Based on our investigation, we found that the defendant had no hand in the alleged murder of the minor,” Mr Soron-Dinki had said.
