DSS arrests 5 suspects over Papiri school kidnapping, recovers 15 AK-47s and more

• The DSS arrested five individuals, including a known Boko Haram member and two Nigerien nationals.

• Security operatives recovered 15 assault rifles and over 1,400 rounds of live ammunition.

• The suspects are directly linked to the logistics network behind the November attack on St Mary's School in Papiri.

• The arrest of foreign couriers highlights a major cross-border weapon smuggling network operating in Niger State.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested five suspects, including two foreign nationals, believed to be the major arms couriers for the terrorists who attacked St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.

The security operation also led to the recovery of a large cache of military-grade weapons and ammunition intended for further criminal operations.

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Credible security sources confirmed that the operation began with the intercept of Yusuf Mohammed, popularly known as Bature, and his accomplice, Mubarak Ibrahim. 

Mohammed is a known figure on the Nigerian security watch list and an alleged member of the Boko Haram terrorist group.

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The DSS intercepted both men along the Zaria-Kaduna highway while they were travelling to receive a fresh delivery of weapons.

A swift follow-up operation by intelligence officers led to the arrest of two foreign collaborators identified as Nigerien citizens. 

Goni Ibrahim, an international arms smuggler from the Diffa Region of the Niger Republic, was arrested alongside his local associate, Tukur Sani.

Security operatives searched their blue vehicle and discovered a hidden compartment containing the following:

• 15 AK-103 assault rifles

• 15 fully loaded magazines

• 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition

Days later, the DSS extended its dragnet to Yauri, Kebbi State, where they arrested the fifth suspect, Alhaji Adamu, also known as Gado Banufe. 

Investigators revealed that Adamu specialised in distributing illegal firearms across the Kebbi and Niger State borders.

Preliminary investigations by the DSS have directly linked all five arrested suspects to the logistics network that supplied the bandits who attacked the Papiri community.

On November 21, 2025, gunmen riding motorcycles stormed St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Agwarra Local Government Area. 

The attackers overran the school guards and forcefully marched 315 students and staff into the dense forest of the Kainji Lake Reserve.

While roughly 50 children managed to escape into nearby bushes during the initial chaos, and another group of 100 was released earlier in December, the remaining captives were held for weeks. 

Following extensive joint security operations and federal interventions, the last batch of 130 children and staff was safely freed on December 21, 2025.

The active participation of foreign nationals from neighbouring Niger has raised fresh concerns among security experts regarding West African cross-border weapon smuggling networks.

The DSS stated that the suspects remain in custody and are providing useful information that could help dismantle the wider syndicate supplying arms to bandits across north-central and northwestern Nigeria.

Local authorities in Niger State have urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements to security personnel as mop-up operations continue within the region's forest reserves.

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