RismadarVoice Reporters, June 1, 2026
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested five suspected arms couriers, including two foreign nationals, over their alleged involvement in supplying weapons to the gunmen responsible for the mass abduction at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, in November 2025.
The DSS disclosed this in a statement, saying investigations linked the suspects to the supply of arms and ammunition used by the kidnappers who carried out one of the country’s most notorious school abductions in recent years.
According to the agency, the operation began with the interception of three suspects along the Zaria-Kaduna Highway while they were allegedly en route to receive a consignment of weapons.
The DSS said intelligence gathered during the operation led to a follow-up raid that resulted in the arrest of Goni Ibrahim, an alleged international arms courier from the Diffa Region of the Niger Republic, and his associate, Tukur Sani.
Operatives reportedly recovered 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines, and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition concealed in the suspects’ vehicle.
The agency added that another suspected member of the arms trafficking network, Alhaji Adamu, popularly known as Gado Banufe, was arrested days later in Yauri, Kebbi State.
Preliminary investigations, according to the DSS, indicate that the suspects played a significant role in supplying weapons to the criminal gang responsible for the attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, on November 21, 2025.
During the raid, heavily gunmen reportedly invaded the Catholic boarding school and abducted hundreds of students and staff members. While some victims escaped during the attack, more than 250 students and teachers were reportedly taken into the Kainji Lake National Park forest area, triggering a nationwide outcry and renewed concerns over insecurity in schools.
The DSS said investigations are ongoing to dismantle the wider arms trafficking network and apprehend other individuals connected to the kidnapping syndicate.
Security analysts have described the arrests as a significant breakthrough in efforts to trace and disrupt the supply chains that sustain kidnapping and banditry operations across parts of northern Nigeria.
