A Kano State High Court has directed the state’s Ministry of Justice to provide alleged killers of the five-year-old, Hanifa Abubakar with legal representation.
Justice Usman Na’aba sitting at Audu Bako secretariat gave the order when the prosecution arraigned the accused before the court.
The state government had transferred the case from the Magistrate Court where the suspects were first docked, but moved the case to the state high court with five fresh charges leveled against them since the lower court lacks jurisdiction to hear the matter.
However, the arraignment of suspects, Abdulmaliq Tanko, Hashimu Isiyaku and Fatima Jibrin could not continue because of the inability of the accused to produce a defence counsel for the accused persons.
The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Musa A. Lawal, who led the prosecution drew the attention of the court to absence of defense counsel.
Reacting to the observation, Justice Na-aba asked the defendants if they could engage the services of lawyers or wanted the state government to provide them with legal representation.
The accused persons responded that they are not able to afford a legal team but requested the state government to provide them with lawyers.
In his response, the Attorney General, prayed for adjournment to enable the state provide lawyers for them.
Ruling on the matter, Justice Na’aba who emphasised the constitutional right of the accused persons to legal representation insisted that government was duty bound to provide the defendants, legal representation and adjourned the matter to February 14, 2022 for arraignment.
The trio were charged with criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, concealing/keeping in confinement a kidnapped person and culpable homicide, punishable under sections 97, 274, 277 and 221 of Kano state Penal Code Law.
