Kano’s Tragic Killings: Echoes of Little Hanifa — A Call for Justice -By Abdulkadir Salaudeen

Kano State was thrown into a state of mourning last week following an unbelievable but real incident – one that would have been condemned as inappropriate even if acted out in horror films. It was not a horror film; it was a horror reality, a tragic incident, and a gory sight that sent shockwaves into the heart of every human with flowing blood in their veins.

A nephew, Umar, killed his paternal aunt and her six children at a go for reasons still unknown. There is speculation about inheritance, but this has been denied by those in the know. The main assailant, Umar, has both parents alive. Logically, inheritance as causation should be ruled out. Could there be any sane explanation for a grandson killing his aunt over his grandparents’ inheritance while his parents are alive?

While this is not impossible in a society where every ugly thing is possible (and where ignorance prevails), it is safer to de-emphasize the inheritance angle and let investigations explore other motives behind the ruthless and brutal killings by enemies within the family.

Fatima Abubakar, 35, and her six children were killed in their home, the Chiranci Dorayi area of the state, on Saturday by Umar Auwalu, 23, a nephew of the deceased woman. He confessed to leading the attack along with his friend, 21, and maternal uncle, 40.

Many would lament our weak security system since the attack occurred in broad daylight around 12 noon. But how on earth would anyone suspect a nephew carrying a cutlass as he enters his aunt’s house? Umar is a familiar face in the house and probably in the neighborhood. He was not a suspect to be suspected by any suspicious neighbors until he became the prime suspect — the lead assailant (the devil in human skin).

Many have asked, and people are still asking: how did such killings go unnoticed in a densely populated area of the city (Dorayi)? I can think of three possible answers: either the cry for help was not loud enough, the distress cry was not taken seriously, or people in the neighborhood are too individualistic to respond to such a cry.

We live in a society where everyone minds their business, and we think that is progress. On this premise, many have accused people in the neighborhood of wickedness for not responding to the cry for help. A resident argued, in a viral video, that they actually trooped out to help, but the assailants’ unusual alacrity and speed made their help belated. He claimed they caught the assailants and handed them over to the police. This claim was later found to be false. The irresponsible resident has retracted his claim as he is currently cooling his heels in police custody.

This is a bygone. The deed is done. The point now is how to address the trauma of Haruna Bashir, the father and husband who lost his wife and six children in a single day, to a single strike, and under the most terrible circumstances. Could there be a more terrible way to be traumatized than this?

The eldest of his children is said to be 17. It means the efforts of seventeen years of fatherhood are irredeemably lost. Only parents would understand this. I listened to a lady who wants to trend on social media by all means. She said the traumatized father should be investigated and that his hands might not be clean. I was shocked.

I asked: could anyone in their right mind think that a father might have a hand in the killing of his wife and six children, all at once? I got some relief when I later learnt the ill-mannered and loquacious lady is a prostitute. Thus, her inability to sympathize and empathize is understandable. Even so, this is not how to trend.

Many well-to-do Nigerians and sympathizers are doing their best to help Bashir. They are trying to convince him that he can still live a normal life despite the calamity. Gifts of money from generous Nigerians. President Bola Tinubu, despite his tight schedules, found a way to reach out to Bashir through his aide, Senior Special Assistant on Media Affairs, Malam Abdulaziz Abdulaziz. The Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, was physically present to pay his condolences.

Prior to the Governor’s visit, he had reportedly approved a comprehensive welfare package for Bashir. This includes sponsorship for Hajj and Umrah, provision of a new house, and full government support to help Bashir rebuild his life. All these are commendable acts. But are they enough? They are consolations; not justice. Justice can only be done when these barbarians are put to death; not sentenced to death. The ringleader, Umar, reportedly confessed to having masterminded other killings in the family within the state.

Why Umar killed these beautiful souls is still unknown. What is known is that he and his accomplices in crime lack a sense of beauty. Those who lack a sense of beauty are unusually brutal and hardly see a difference between humans and domestic animals. Four years ago, precisely, in a January 29, 2022 article titled “Little Hanifa And The Sin Of Schooling In Nigeria”, I lamented how a primary school pupil named Hanifa Abubakar was brutally killed by Abdulmalik Tanko, the proprietor of her school, for lacking a sense of beauty. I wrote:

“Hanifa remains a cynosure of all eyes even to those who do not have sense of beauty or have lost their perception of beauty. But the ugly killer insisted that she must die. He killed her with rat poison; which to him it is still not enough. He went on to butcher her to display the height of inhumanity of man to human. Still not done, he shed the crocodile tears to ridicule Hanifa’s parent and members of the household.”

But Hanifa’s killer kidnapped her to demand a ransom and later killed her. Why did Umar kill about ten members of his family? He did not kill for ransom. He is not mentally deranged. He was reportedly not a drug addict. He did not kill obviously for money rituals since he was not known to live in suspicious opulence. This is why this savagery must be thoroughly investigated. Who sent him? On whose behalf did he kill? And for what purpose? Did he join a secret cult? If he had joined a secret cult, why did he join? Who are the other members of the cult? Which bloodsucking secret cult would demand the blood of seven beautiful and innocent souls, all at once?

I commend the Kano State Police Command for the intelligent and swift efforts that led to the arrest of the three suspects less than 24 hours after commiting the crime. I trust the police will do their job. They will probably make their findings public. Whatever the outcome of the police findings, these killers are confirmed agents of death and must be thrown into the jaw of death. There is consensus on this — a consensus echoed even by Umar’s parents.

But will they be executed by the authority? This is a very painful question to ask. Hanifa’s killer is still alive — being fed by taxpayers’ money — despite all the incontrovertible evidence against him. Though the governor has directed the state Attorney General to ensure speedy prosecution, adding that he would not hesitate to sign death warrants where applicable. The governor should sign the death warrant so that the rest of us can live. “And there is (a saving of) life for you in the Law of Equality in punishment, O men of understanding, that you may become pious.”

The above quote is a divine declaration and wisdom addressed to men of understanding like the Kano State Governor. The governor has to prove it. (See Qur’an 2 verse 179).

As for Haruna Bashir, the bereaved father, no amount of consolations, condolences, gifts of money, or promises of a good life can be a substitute for the six late beautiful children and his beloved wife. No amount of justice can be satisfactory enough to wipe away his tears and help him forget the thought. This is a lifelong trauma. The only consolation is the belief in God and divine justice.

Incidents like this always strengthen my faith that there must be life after death where justice will be appropriately and satisfactorily served. Or what earthly justice can adequately address the issue at hand? If Bashir is given all the earthly treasures as compensation for the loss, how would his wife and his six children be compensated? They will definitely get justice in the next life.

Tragedy has never weighed me down like this recent one. I am traumatized despite having no connection with the family, but humanity. I earnestly pray for the lost souls. May the Almighty grant them eternal bliss. May the Living God be with Bashir and all those who sympathize with him.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen 

salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com