Court Jails Five Terrorists Linked To Papiri Catholic School Attack For 25 Years Each
Five men linked to the deadly November 2025 assault on St. Joseph Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State have been sentenced to 25 years in prison each by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Justice Binta Nyako handed down the sentences on Thursday after the defendants entered guilty pleas to terrorism-related charges filed by the Federal Government. The court found them guilty of aiding terrorism and illegally moving weapons meant for Boko Haram fighters.
The convicts are Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Bature; Goni Ibrahim Bindi, alias Goni Mutua; Sani Tukur, alias Danladi; Mubarak Ibrahim; and Musa Alhaji Adamu, alias Gado Banufe. Court records show two of them are nationals of the Republic of Niger, while the remaining three hail from Niger State, Nigeria.
Prosecutors told the court that between April 23 and April 24, 2026, the five men conspired to smuggle 15 AK-103 rifles and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition from Niger Republic’s Diffa Region into Nigeria. The weapons were destined for a suspected Boko Haram operative identified as Malam Ahmad in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The offences violated the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and the Firearms Act.
Operatives of the Department of State Services arrested the suspects on May 31, 2026 during coordinated raids. In one operation, DSS agents intercepted a Volkswagen Golf with the cache of rifles and ammunition hidden in sacks. The arms, bullets, and vehicle were admitted as exhibits during trial. Justice Nyako ordered the vehicle forfeited to the Federal Government.
The convictions stem directly from the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Joseph Catholic Primary and Secondary Boarding School in Papiri. Dozens of gunmen on motorcycles stormed the school in the early morning hours, herded students and teachers at gunpoint, and marched over 250 students into the Kainji Lake National Park forest.
About 50 students managed to escape during the chaos, but the incident triggered nationwide outrage and fresh fears over mass school abductions and insecurity across northern Nigeria.