The Department of State Services has arrested five suspected arms couriers linked to gunmen who abducted students and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri Village, Niger State, on November 21, 2025.
- +DSS nabs five suspected arms couriers behind Niger school abduction
The suspects, including two Nigeriens, were apprehended in coordinated operations across Kaduna, Niger and Kebbi states.
The suspects, including two Nigeriens, were apprehended in coordinated operations across Kaduna, Niger and Kebbi states.
A statement on Monday said the suspects were believed to have supplied weapons used in the mass abduction of nearly 300 victims.
According to the statement, one of the arrested suspects, Yusuf Mohammed, also known as Bature, who is listed among wanted members of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (Boko Haram), was intercepted alongside his associate, Mubarak Ibrahim, along the Zaria–Kaduna highway while allegedly en route to collect a weapons consignment.
“The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested five persons, including two Nigeriens, suspected to be arms couriers to gunmen who, on November 21, 2025, attacked St. Mary’s Catholic school in Papiri Village, Niger State, abducting nearly 300 students and staff.
“Recovered from the men were a large cache of arms, including 15 AK rifles and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition.
“One Yusuf Mohammed (a.k.a Bature), who is on the list of wanted members of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad a.k.a Boko Haram terror organisation and his accomplice, Mubarak Ibrahim, were arrested on the Zaria Kaduna highway while on their way to collect a consignment of arms for their commanders,” the statement partly said.
A follow-up operation reportedly led to the arrest of Goni Ibrahim, described as an international arms courier from the Diffa Region of the Niger Republic, alongside his alleged accomplice, Tukur Sani.
Recovered from the suspects were 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition concealed in a blue vehicle.
Days later, another suspected member of the syndicate, Alhaji Adamu, also known as Gado Banufe, allegedly involved in arms supply operations along the Kebbi axis, was arrested in Yauri, Kebbi State.
Security sources said preliminary investigations indicated that the five suspects served as arms couriers for the gunmen who carried out the November 2025 attack on the Catholic boarding school.
During the attack, dozens of armed men stormed the school in the early hours, abducting students and staff.
While about 50 students reportedly escaped, more than 250 others were taken into the Kainji Lake Reserve forest.
Authorities later confirmed that all remaining captives were rescued and safely reunited with their families on December 21, 2025, bringing the crisis to an end.
