The Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, has vowed to sign the death warrants for convicted killers, following Saturday’s brutal murder of a woman and her six children in the Dorayi Charanchi Quarters of the state metropolis.
The governor made the pledge on Wednesday, when he visited the bereaved father and widower, Haruna Bashir.
The authorities in Kano are currently prosecuting several individuals linked to killings in the state.
Particularly tragic is the impact on minors of two of the three latest attacks.
The police in the state are prosecuting a private school teacher, Abdulmalik Tanko, for allegedly kidnapping and killing his five-year-old pupil, Hanifa Abubakar, in January 2022.
The police are also prosecuting Shafiu Abubakar, 38, for allegedly setting fire to a mosque in the Gezawa Local Government Area, killing 17 people in 2024.
After the latest incident in Dorayi Chiranchi, Governor Yusuf said that his firm stance on capital punishment extends to those high-profile cases of little Hanifa Abubakar and the Gezawa mosque arson attack.
According to a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature, the state government has approved full funding for Mr Bashir to perform Hajj and Umrah, and is giving him a new house and welfare support.
Mr Bature said the state will support Mr Bashir in remarrying and restarting his life.
In a gesture of gratitude for the government’s intervention, Mr Bashir donated his personal residence to the Kano State Government for conversion into an Islamiyya school for the host community, the statement added.
The tragedy occurred on Saturday afternoon when assailants stormed Mr Bashir’s residence and callously murdered his wife and six children.
On Sunday, the police announced that three suspects had been taken into custody in connection with the incident.
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Governor Yusuf has directed the state attorney-general and commissioner for Justice to fast-track the prosecution of the suspects.
The governor reiterated that he would ensure justice is served and reaffirmed his commitment to signing death sentences for those found guilty.
He commended the police, the State Security Services (SSS), and other security agencies for their swift synergy and effective action in apprehending the suspects.
