DSS Arrests Five Suspects, Including Two Foreign Nationals, Over Papiri School Kidnap Arms Supply

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested five suspected arms couriers, including two citizens of Niger Republic, allegedly linked to the gunmen behind the mass abduction at St. Mary's Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, in November 2025.

Security sources said the suspects were apprehended during a series of intelligence-led operations that also led to the recovery of 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines and 1,434 rounds of live 7.62mm ammunition.

According to the sources, Yusuf Mohammed, also known as Bature, a wanted member of Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, commonly known as Boko Haram, and his associate, Mubarak Ibrahim, were arrested along the Zaria-Kaduna highway while allegedly travelling to collect a consignment of weapons for insurgent commanders.

The sources said follow-up operations led to the arrest of Goni Ibrahim, described as an international arms courier from the Diffa Region of Niger Republic, and his accomplice, Tukur Sani.

"Recovered from the suspects' vehicle were 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition concealed in a blue car," one of the security sources said.

The DSS reportedly expanded its investigation and, days later, arrested another suspected member of the arms trafficking network, Alhaji Adamu, also known as Gado Banufe, in Yauri, Kebbi State.

Security sources said preliminary investigations indicated that the five suspects acted as arms suppliers and couriers for the gunmen responsible for the attack on St. Mary's Catholic primary and secondary boarding school in Papiri village on Nov. 21, 2025.

The attack occurred when dozens of armed men riding motorcycles stormed the school in the early hours of the morning, rounding up students and teachers at gunpoint.

While about 50 students escaped during the chaos, more than 250 others were taken into the Kainji Lake Reserve forest.

After weeks in captivity, government authorities announced on Dec. 21, 2025, that the remaining 130 abductees had been rescued and safely reunited with their families.

The DSS has yet to issue an official statement on the arrests, but security officials described the operation as a significant breakthrough in efforts to dismantle the networks supplying weapons to criminal and terrorist groups operating across northern Nigeria.

"This operation has disrupted a key arms supply chain linked to violent attacks and kidnappings in the region," a security source said. "Investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the syndicate."