The Department of State Services (DSS) has apprehended five individuals, including two nationals from Niger Republic, suspected of acting as arms couriers for the gunmen who attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri village, Niger State, on November 21, 2025. The attack resulted in the abduction of nearly 300 students and staff members.
Arms Cache Recovered
A significant cache of weapons was recovered from the suspects, comprising 15 AK rifles and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition. According to credible security sources, one Yusuf Mohammed, also known as Bature, who is on the wanted list of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (Boko Haram) terror organization, along with his accomplice Mubarak Ibrahim, was arrested on the Zaria-Kaduna highway while en route to collect a consignment of arms for their commanders.
Follow-Up Operations
A subsequent operation led to the arrest of Goni Ibrahim, an international arms courier from the Diffa Region of Niger Republic. He was apprehended alongside his accomplice, Tukur Sani. The security sources disclosed that concealed in an unnamed blue car the men were traveling in were 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines, and 1,434 rounds of 7.62 mm live ammunition.
Additional Arrest
Days after these arrests, another member of the arms courier syndicate, identified as Alhaji Adamu, also known as Gado Banufe, who is known to supply arms around the Kebbi axis, was arrested in Yauri, Kebbi State. Preliminary investigations have established that the five men served as arms couriers to the gunmen who carried out the November 2025 attack on the Catholic boarding school in Papiri.
Background of the Attack
Dozens of gunmen on motorcycles stormed the Catholic primary and secondary boarding school in the early hours of November 21, 2025, rounding up students and teachers at gunpoint. While approximately 50 children managed to escape during the chaos, over 250 others were marched for days into the Kainji Lake Reserve forest. After slightly over a month, on December 21, 2025, the federal government and Niger state officials confirmed the rescue and safe return of the remaining 130 captives, with government officials confirming that not a single pupil remained in captivity.
