Papiri school abduction: DSS arrests suspected arms couriers, recovers 15 AK rifles

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — The Department of State Services, DSS, has reportedly arrested five suspected arms couriers, including two Nigerien nationals, over their alleged role in supplying weapons to the gunmen who abducted nearly 300 students and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri village, Niger State, in November last year.

Operatives also recovered 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition during the operations.

The arrests are being seen as a major breakthrough in investigations into the Papiri school abduction, with security investigators linking the suspects to the supply of weapons allegedly used by the gunmen who attacked the Catholic boarding school and whisked hundreds of pupils and staff into captivity.

Credible security sources familiar with the operation disclosed that Yusuf Mohammed, also known as Bature, a suspected member of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, otherwise known as Boko Haram, was arrested alongside an alleged accomplice, Mubarak Ibrahim, on the Zaria-Kaduna Highway while reportedly on their way to collect a consignment of arms for their commanders.

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

According to the sources, the weapons were concealed in a blue vehicle being used by the suspects. Recovered items included 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition.

The sources further disclosed that days after the initial arrests, another suspected member of the alleged arms-trafficking network, Alhaji Adamu, also known as Gado Banufe, was apprehended in Yauri, Kebbi State. He was said to be involved in supplying weapons across the Kebbi axis.

Preliminary investigations, according to the security sources, indicate that the five suspects served as arms couriers to the gunmen responsible for the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri.

The attack occurred in the early hours of that day when dozens of heavily armed gunmen riding motorcycles stormed the Catholic primary and secondary boarding school, rounding up students and teachers at gunpoint.

While about 50 pupils reportedly escaped in the chaos that followed, more than 250 others were marched for days into the Kainji Lake Reserve forest, where they were held captive for weeks.

The abduction triggered nationwide concern and renewed scrutiny of school security in vulnerable communities, particularly in parts of the North-West and North-Central regions that have witnessed repeated attacks on educational institutions.

Just over a month later, on December 21, 2025, federal and Niger State government officials confirmed the rescue and safe return of the remaining 130 captives, stating that no pupil remained in the custody of the abductors.

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