By Ismail Auwal
Abdulmalik Tanko and his two accomplices have denied kidnapping and murdering 5-year-old Haneefa Abubakar.
Tanko had previously confessed to journalists during his parading at the Kano State Police Headquarters that he kidnapped and killed the girl with N100 rat poison before burying her remains in a small grave at one of his schools.
However, during his appearance in Kano High Court on Monday, Tanko and his co-defendant both denied committed the offenses.
While they pleaded guilty to the first count of the accusation, a conspiracy, all three accused pleaded not guilty to the remaining four counts, which included kidnapping, demanding ransom, and murdering the victim.
Meanwhile, the trial judge has adjourned the matter to March 2 and 3 for the commencement of the hearing and ordered the accused persons to be remanded in the correctional centre.
