By Abdurrahman B. Isah

A cloud of grief hangs over the family of 14-year-old Maimuna Sani Yaro, fondly known as Nihal, whose death has sparked outrage and calls for justice in Kano State.

Nihal, a JSS 2 student of St. Louis Secondary School, Kano, reportedly died after serving a punishment at the school, an incident that has triggered widespread concern among parents, education stakeholders and child rights advocates.

Her mother, Nusaiba Danshareef, is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her only daughter.

Speaking in an emotional interview with Arewa Radio, she alleged that school authorities attempted to conceal the actual circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death.

According to Danshareef, questions about what truly happened began to emerge shortly after the school informed the family that Nihal had slumped and died.

Her suspicions deepened, she said, when the school’s Vice Principal, Halima Babayaro, visited the family to offer condolences.

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“She pleaded with me to ignore any future comments about my daughter’s cause of death,” Danshareef recalled. “That statement alone made me begin to wonder if there was more to the story than what we had been told.”

The following morning, she said, her phone was flooded with screenshots and messages from students carrying the hashtag #JusticeForNihal. To her, the online campaign suggested that students believed there were unanswered questions surrounding the death.

“This further gave credence to my suspicion that there was foul play and an attempt to cover up what really happened,” she said.

As the family sought answers, new information allegedly began to emerge. Some students who knew Nihal reportedly told relatives that she had been subjected to a punishment that required her to stand under the scorching sun for several hours.

According to the accounts relayed to the family, Nihal eventually collapsed and was rushed to a hospital in Kano, where doctors later confirmed her death.

The claims have raised troubling questions about disciplinary practices in schools and whether the punishment, if confirmed, was proportionate or safe for a young student.

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The case has also reignited public debate about corporal punishment and other forms of school discipline, particularly at a time when child rights advocates are calling for more humane approaches to correcting students.

While emotions continue to run high, the school has yet to issue an official statement addressing the allegations or explaining the events leading to the student’s death.

However, the Executive Secretary of the Kano State Private and Voluntary Institutions Board, Baba Umar, disclosed that a fact-finding delegation sent to the school was informed that Nihal had been punished by the school’s Imam for allegedly failing to report to the mosque on time.

The revelation has added another dimension to the controversy and intensified calls for a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death.

For Danshareef and her family, the pain of losing a child remains overwhelming. Yet beyond the grief is a determination to seek answers and accountability.

As investigations continue, many residents of Kano are watching closely, hoping that the truth behind Nihal’s death will emerge and that any lessons from the tragedy will help prevent similar incidents in the future.

For now, the hashtag #JusticeForNihal continues to gain traction, serving as a rallying cry for those demanding clarity, accountability and justice for a young life cut short.