Nigeria: DSS breaks Papiri School abduction case
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria
The Department of State Services, DSS, has arrested five suspected arms couriers linked to the November 2025 abduction of nearly 300 students and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri village, Niger State. Two of the suspects are Nigerien nationals.
The arrests are being described as a major breakthrough in the investigation into the attack that shocked the country last year.
Security sources say DSS operatives arrested Yusuf Mohammed, aka “Bature” an alleged Boko Haram member — and accomplice Mubarak Ibrahim on the Zaria-Kaduna Highway while they were reportedly going to collect a weapons consignment.
That arrest led operatives to Goni Ibrahim, described as an international arms courier from Niger Republic’s Diffa Region, and his accomplice Tukur Sani. The weapons were hidden in a blue vehicle. Recovered items: 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines, and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition.
Days later, another suspect, Alhaji Adamu, aka “Gado Banufe”, was apprehended in Yauri, Kebbi State. He’s accused of supplying weapons across the Kebbi axis.
Investigators say all five suspects served as arms couriers to the gunmen who attacked St. Mary’s Catholic boarding school in the early hours of November 21, 2025. Dozens of gunmen on motorcycles stormed the school, abducting students and teachers at gunpoint. About 50 pupils escaped, while over 250 were marched into the Kainji Lake Reserve forest and held captive for weeks.
The attack triggered national outrage and renewed debate on school security in North-Central and North-West Nigeria
On December 21, 2026, federal and Niger State officials confirmed that the remaining 130 captives had been rescued and reunited with their families. No pupils were said to remain in captivity.
The DSS says investigations are ongoing as security agencies intensify efforts to dismantle arms supply networks feeding banditry and insurgency in the region.
