Five months after a school teacher, Abdulmalik Tanko was sentenced to death for the killing of a five-year-old pupil, Hanifa Abubakar, in Kano, Governor Abba Yusuf has vowed to ensure the execution of the convict.

The governor said the sentence prescribed by the court must be carried out.

Yusuf spoke during an event to commemorate the 2024 International Children’s Day Celebration in Kano.

A Kano State High Court had sentenced Tanko and his accomplice, Hashimu Ishyaku, to death by hanging after finding them guilty of Hanifa’s murder.

Yusuf said ensuring that the convicted murderers get the “desired justice they deserve would in no small measure serve as a deterrent to those who are planning evil against children”.

According to him, the state is on the verge of declaring a ‘state of emergency on education’ to ensure quality education for children in the state.

“When we say state of emergency, we mean holistic approach such as free education, renovation of dilapidated schools and infrastructure, among others, to ensure quality education,” he said.

The governor also promised that in no distant time, free school feeding and free uniforms will be provided for school children from primary one to three in the state.

Earlier, the State’s Commissioner for Women, Children and Disabled, Hajiya Aisha Lawan, commended the governor for his initiatives, including free education for primary and secondary students as well as slashing of tuition fees by 50 per cent for tertiary students.

On her part, the Speaker of the Children’s Parliament in Kano State, Hauwa Ibrahim, called on the state government to implement the Child Right Act for the wellbeing of children in the state.