DSS arrests two foreign nationals and three others in Niger school kidnapping.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has detained five individuals suspected of transporting arms, including two foreign nationals from the Niger Republic, in connection with the November 2025 assault on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State. The attack resulted in the abduction of nearly 300 students and staff members.

Security officials reported that the arrests were made during a series of intelligence‑driven operations that also uncovered a substantial cache of weapons. The cache included 15 AK‑103 rifles, 15 magazines, and 1,434 rounds of 7.62 mm live ammunition.

TVC News identified among those arrested Yusuf Mohammed, also known as Bature, who is listed as a wanted individual by the Boko Haram terrorist organization, formally known as Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, and his associate Mubarak Ibrahim.

The pair was intercepted on the Zaria‑Kaduna Highway while reportedly en route to collect a consignment of arms for terrorist commanders.

A subsequent operation led to the capture of Goni Ibrahim, an international arms courier from the Diffa Region of the Niger Republic, and his alleged accomplice Tukur Sani.

Security sources say the weapons and ammunition were hidden in a blue vehicle used by the suspects during their movements.

Days later, operatives arrested another suspected member of the trafficking network, Alhaji Adamu, popularly known as Gado Banufe, in Yauri, Kebbi State. He is alleged to be a major supplier of arms to criminal groups operating within the Kebbi axis.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the five suspects acted as arms suppliers and couriers for the gunmen who carried out the November 21, 2025, attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School.

During the assault, dozens of heavily armed gunmen on motorcycles reportedly stormed the Catholic primary and secondary school in the early hours, abducting students and teachers at gunpoint.

While about 50 pupils escaped amid the chaos, more than 250 others were taken into the Kainji Lake National Park forest area, where they remained in captivity for several weeks.

The Federal Government and Niger State authorities later confirmed the rescue and safe return of the remaining captives on December 21, 2025, more than a month after the incident. Officials stated that all abducted pupils were successfully recovered and reunited with their families.

The latest arrests are expected to bolster ongoing efforts by security agencies to dismantle arms‑trafficking networks and bring those responsible for the Papiri school attack to justice.