Court Jails Three Nigerians, Two Nigeriens For 25 Years Over Papiri School Attack

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced five individuals arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) for their alleged involvement in the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Joseph Catholic Church School in Papiri, Niger State, to 25 years in prison each.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Justice Binta Nyako delivered the judgment on Thursday after the defendants pleaded guilty to four terrorism-related charges filed against them.

The charges included conspiracy, providing support for acts of terrorism, illegal possession of firearms, and failure to report information that could assist security agencies.

Those convicted are Yusuf Muhammad (also known as Bature), Goni Ibrahim Bindi (also known as Goni Mutuwa), Sani Tukur (also known as Danladi), Mubarak Ibrahim, and Musa Alhaji Adamu (also known as Gado Banufe). Two of them are Nigerien nationals.

They were arrested at different locations on May 31, 2026, by DSS operatives.

The prosecution told the court that the defendants transported 15 AK-103 rifles and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition from the Diffa region of Niger Republic to an individual identified as Malam Ahmad, alleged to be linked to Boko Haram in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.

During the arrests, DSS operatives recovered the weapons hidden inside sacks loaded in a Volkswagen Golf car, which was later tendered as evidence in court and forfeited to the Federal Government.

The case is tied to the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Joseph Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, where armed men on motorcycles stormed the school, abducting students and staff in the early hours of the day.

Although about 50 students reportedly escaped during the chaos, more than 250 others were taken into the Kainji Lake Reserve Forest.

The court held that the defendants conspired between April 23 and 24, 2026, to support terrorist activities by moving weapons and ammunition, in violation of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act.

One of the counts also accused Yusuf Muhammad of failing to report critical information that could have led to the arrest of a suspected terrorist believed to be hiding in Gandu Forest, Borgu LGA.

After their guilty pleas, Justice Nyako sentenced all five defendants to 25 years imprisonment each.