Isiyaku Ahmed
The Kano Civil Society Forum (KCSF) while condemning the gruesome murder of 5-year old Hanifa Abubakar by her school teacher has called on the Kano state government to as a matter of urgency pass the Child Protection Bill into law.
The call was made in a condolence letter to the family of the diseased and the good people of Kano on Tuesday, jointly signed by the KCSF President, Ibrahim A. Waiya, and the group’s spokesperson, Comrade Dr. M. K. Adams.
According to the letter, the KCSF has also established an 11-man high-powered committee with the mandate to monitor and follow up on all development relating to the case until the final conviction of the suspects by the court of law.
Parts of the letter read;
“We received with utmost shock the cold-blooded murder of Hanifa Abukakar, a six-year-old some days back. We wish to condemn this inhuman act of deliberate conspiracy that ended the life of our lovely daughter and sister in the State.
“It is with a heavy heart and in total submission to the will of God that, we wish to register our sincere condolence to the family of Hanifa Abubakar, the good people of Kano, and the entire humanity over the infamous incidence which would remain in our memory for years.
“We pray that May Almighty Allah grants the innocent soul of Hanifa Abubakar, eternal rest and mercy. We also pray that May Almighty Allah consoles the family of the bereaved with the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss as well as the good people of Kano State and Nigeria at large.”
“While we commend the effort of our security agencies in the State for their steadfastness to uncover this evil conspiracy, we wish to request them to continue with this tempo to ensure that, Kano is gotten rid of bad and criminally-minded elements, especially those that cultivate the evil intention to cause harm on the lives of our innocent children.
“We wish to urge Kano State Government through the Ministry of Education to conduct child security risks survey in all schools, and introduce a template that will entrench the culture of individual teacher character assessment to mitigate the risks to the security of our children in the schools.
“In addition to this, the Kano State Government should as a matter of urgency ensure the passage of Child Protection Law to follow queue of other states such as Kebbi, Jigawa, Adamawa, Katsina, Kaduna, Kwara, Yobe, Borno, Niger, Kogi, and others, who had for long passed the child protection law in their respective states.
“As we grieve over the loss of our dear daughter, alongside the burning desire to see the final conviction of all the suspects involved in the ruthless murder.
“The Kano civil Society Forum wishes to announce the establishment of the 11-man high powered committee which is mandated with the responsibility to monitor and follow up on all development relating to the case until the final conviction of the suspects by the court of law.
The committee is composed of;
1. Barr. Mustapha Idris
2. Barr. Maimuna Sheriff
3. Ibrahim Garba Maryam
4. Comrade Kabiru Sa’idu Dakata
5. Hajiya Mariya Alikote
6. Mrs. Rakiya Abba Tahula
7. Hajiya Sa’adatu Hashim
8. Alh. Mohammad Bello Abdullahi G/Kaya
9. Bilkisu Ado Zango
10. Comrade Sani Tela
11. Mr. Peter Hassan Tijani
“Similarly, we wish to call on Kano State Government to establish children protection and welfare agency, which shall oversee the affairs of all children in Kano. The Agency shall be mandated to implement the provisions of the Child Protection Law when it is passed into law.
“We believe that the establishment of children protection and welfare agency shall reduce the burden of the Ministry of Women Affairs, as all matters relating to children in the state shall adequately and specifically be attended to with due urgency and diligence.”
The KCSF is an umbrella body of civil society organizations operating in Kano.
