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Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested five suspected arms couriers, including two Nigeriens, who allegedly supplied the gunmen who abducted nearly 300 students and staff from St Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State last November.
Security forces intercepted Yusuf Mohammed, a wanted Boko Haram member, and his accomplice, Mubarak Ibrahim, on the Zaria-Kaduna highway as they travelled to collect weapons for their commanders.
During the operation, authorities recovered a massive cache of arms, including 15 AK rifles and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition.
A follow-up operation led to the arrest of Goni Ibrahim, an international arms supplier from the Niger Republic, and his associate, Tukur Sani, after officers discovered hidden firearms inside a blue car.
Days later, security operatives tracked down and arrested another syndicate member, Alhaji Adamu, in Kebbi State.
Preliminary investigations confirm that these five men supplied the weapons used by the motorcycle-riding bandits who raided St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri village.
The original assault saw dozens of gunmen round up pupils and teachers at gunpoint before marching over 250 victims into the Kainji Lake Reserve forest.
While roughly 50 children escaped during the initial chaos, the remaining captives spent a month in the forest.
State and federal officials successfully rescued the final 130 captives on December 21, 2025, ensuring that no students remained in captivity.
