Two Nigeriens were among five suspects arrested by the Department of State Services, DSS, over their alleged links to the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri village, Niger State, where nearly 300 students and staff were abducted.
Security sources said the suspects were believed to be part of an arms supply network serving the gunmen who carried out the attack.
According to the sources, DSS operatives first arrested Yusuf Mohammed, also known as Bature, who is said to be on the wanted list of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, also known as Boko Haram, alongside his accomplice, Mubarak Ibrahim. The two were reportedly intercepted on the Zaria-Kaduna highway while on their way to receive a consignment of weapons for their commanders.
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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 alleged accomplice, Tukur Sani.
Recovered from a blue vehicle in which the suspects were travelling were 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines, and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, the sources added.
Days later, DSS operatives also arrested another suspected member of the network, Alhaji Adamu, also known as Gado Banufe, in Yauri, Kebbi State. He was described by the sources as a supplier of arms within the Kebbi axis.
Preliminary investigations, according to the security sources, indicated that the five suspects served as arms couriers to the gunmen responsible for the Papiri school attack.
During the November 2025 incident, dozens of gunmen riding motorcycles stormed the Catholic primary and secondary boarding school in the early hours, rounding up students and teachers at gunpoint.
While about 50 of the children reportedly escaped during the chaos, more than 250 others were forced into the Kainji Lake Reserve forest, where they were held captive for weeks.
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 captivity.
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