DSS arrests suspected arms couriers and recovers 15 AK rifles in Papiri school abduction case.

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — The Department of State Services (DSS) has detained five individuals suspected of acting as arms couriers, including two nationals from Niger, in connection with the supply of 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.

During the operation, DSS operatives seized 15 AK‑103 rifles, 15 magazines, and 1,434 rounds of 7.62 mm live ammunition.

The arrests are regarded as a significant advance in the investigation of the Papiri school abduction, as security officials link the suspects to the weapons allegedly used by the attackers who seized the Catholic boarding school and held hundreds of pupils and staff in captivity.

According to credible security sources, Yusuf Mohammed, also known as Bature, a suspected member of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal‑Jihad (Boko Haram), was arrested together with an alleged accomplice, Mubarak Ibrahim, on the Zaria‑Kaduna Highway while reportedly en route to collect a consignment of arms for their commanders.

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.

Sources said the weapons were hidden in a blue vehicle used by the suspects. The recovered items included the 15 AK‑103 rifles, 15 magazines, and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition.

Days after the initial arrests, another suspected member of the arms‑trafficking network, Alhaji Adamu, also known as Gado Banufe, was apprehended in Yauri, Kebbi State. He was said to have supplied weapons across the Kebbi axis.

Preliminary investigations 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 began in the early hours of that day when dozens of heavily armed gunmen on motorcycles stormed the Catholic primary and secondary boarding school, rounding up students and teachers at gunpoint.

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

The abduction sparked nationwide concern and renewed scrutiny of school security in vulnerable communities, particularly in the North‑West and North‑Central regions that have experienced 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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