The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced five individuals to 25 years imprisonment each for their involvement in the terrorist attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri village, Niger State, which led to the abduction of hundreds of students and teachers in November 2025.
The convicts, including two citizens of the Republic of Niger, were found guilty after admitting to providing logistical support to the terrorists responsible for the attack. They pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges filed against them by the Federal Government.
The attack, which shocked the nation, saw heavily armed gunmen invade the school on motorcycles and force students and teachers into captivity. While some students escaped during the ordeal, hundreds were taken deep into the Kainji Lake Reserve Forest before they were eventually rescued and reunited with their families weeks later.
Investigations by the Department of State Services (DSS) uncovered the involvement of the five men, leading to their arrest and prosecution.
The convicted persons are Yusuf Mohammed, Goni Ibrahim Bindi, Sani Tukur, Mubarak Ibrahim, and Musa Alhaji Adamu. According to court records, they acted as arms couriers for a suspected Boko Haram operative identified as Malam Ahmad.
The court heard that the convicts transported 15 AK-103 rifles and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition from the Diffa region of Niger Republic into Nigeria. The weapons were reportedly concealed inside sacks of dried fish and hidden in a Volkswagen Golf vehicle.
Justice Binta Nyako, who delivered the judgment, held that the defendants knowingly provided material support to a terrorist network, thereby violating provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered the forfeiture of the vehicle used to transport the weapons, along with the recovered firearms and ammunition, to the Federal Government.
One of the convicts was also found guilty of withholding information about the activities and whereabouts of a suspected terrorist leader operating in parts of Niger State.
The judgment marks another significant step in efforts to combat terrorism financing, arms trafficking, and support networks that enable violent extremist groups to operate across Nigeria.
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