The National Council of Women Societies has called for justice for Hanifa Abubakar, a five-year-old pupil murdered by the proprietor of Noble Primary School, Kano.
The National President of the NCWS, Laraba Shoda, made the called in a statement she issued on Monday in Abuja.
Shoda described the incident as tragic and demanded that the accused be brought to book for terminating the life of an innocent child placed in his care for academic development.
According to her, it is unfortunate that Nigerians are, once again, made to experience the painful loss of another child in an environment where they ought to receive protection.
She added: “The kidnap and eventual murder of Hanifa by her teacher after collecting ransom of six million naira from her parent, is one of the most inhuman acts of wickedness.
“The killing of this innocent Nigerian child by the proprietor of her school is a gross betrayal of trust which the little girl and her parent reposed in the institution.”
The National President of the NCWS expressed worries on the increasing cases of killings for ritual purposes that have assumed a frightening dimension in Nigeria.
Shoda said that the case of Aisha Umar, an Internally Displaced Person, who was lured and raped by a humanitarian provider, which led to her committing suicide in Borno State, was also a sorry case.
She added: “As mothers and women, we are in pains that this is no longer the Nigeria we grew up to know.
“A Nigeria where the care for the younger generation was the responsibility of all adults and the community as a whole.
“The death of Hanifa is one too many, as children are the most vulnerable in the society and depended on adults’ protections for their development.
“A situation where care givers, that should protect and care for children, become predators is certainly unsustainable and need urgent actions.”
Shoda on behalf of the council appealed to the Federal Government to put more effort to address the increasing insecurity in schools and in the country at large.
She also called on the government to embark on a nationwide assessment of schools to ensure that they remained conducive and safe for learning.
She said: “We must secure justice for Hanifa and others.
“We need to lay an indicator that no family will be made to question the decision of enrolling their ward in a school that is not safe.”
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