Magistrate’s Court 12, sitting at Gidan Murtala presided over by Chief Magistrate Muhammad Jibril has ordered the case of Abdulmalik Tanko and his accomplices to be transferred to the State High Court six before Justice Usman Na’abba.

Counsel to the state government led by Aisha Mahmoud applied to the court to adjourn the case to a higher court as the Magistrate’s Court has no jurisdiction over the case.

Mahmoud said: “The offences alleged to have been committed by the defendants are not triable by this court. So, we are applying for a count charges before the High Court.”

The court has, therefore, ordered the suspects to be remanded in prison custody before re-arraignment in the next court.

Tanko, 34, and his accomplices, Hashim Isyaku, 37 years, and Fatima Jibrin, 26 years, all residents of Tudun Murtala in Nasarawa Local Government Area were docked over criminal conspiracy, kidnap, confinement and culpable homicide contrary to section 97, 274, 277, 221 of the penal code.

Also, the Kano State Government has filed a five-count charge against Abdulmaliq Tanko and two others over their alleged murder of five-year-old Hanifa Abubakar in their Dakata quarters, Nassarawa local government area of the state.

Tanko, along with Hashimu Isiyaku and Fatima Musa is already standing trial over criminal offence before Senior Magistrate Muhammad Jibrin bordering on culpable homicide, kidnapping, concealing, and confinement of a kidnapped in person.

The suspects were accused of kidnapping and subsequent murder of Hanifa with rat poison powder worth N100 and buried her in a shallow grave after collecting the sum of N100, 000 part payment of N6 million ransoms from her parents.

Magistrate Jibrin had remanded the three accused people in Kano Correctional Centre for further mention.

When the matter came up for hearing yesterday, prosecution counsel, Aisha Mahmoud told the court that the government has decided to transfer the criminal charges before a state high court.

Aisha, who is also the Director Public Prosecution, Kano State Ministry of Justice, explained that the government’s decision was premised on the fact that the lower court lacks jurisdiction to hear the charges brought against the suspects.

She, therefore, appealed that the suspects should remain in the correctional centre for seven days pending when the prosecution will file termination notice of the case at the lower court.