DSS arrests suspected arms couriers, foreign nationals, over Catholic School mass abduction

Abdullateef Fowewe

The Department of State Services (DSS) claimed it has arrested a ring of suspected arms couriers, including two foreign nationals alleged to have supplied weapons used in the November 21, 2025 mass abduction at St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, in Niger State.

In a statement, the agency said the suspects played key roles in providing arms and ammunition to the gunmen who attacked the boarding school, an assault that saw nearly 300 students and staff targeted and more than 250 people taken into the Kainji Lake Reserve forest.

The operation began when security operatives intercepted three suspects on the Zaria–Kaduna Highway as they were reportedly en route to receive a weapons consignment.

Follow-up, intelligence-led raids led to the arrest of an international arms courier identified as Goni Ibrahim from the Diffa Region of the Niger Republic and his associate, Tukur Sani.

DSS said they recovered a significant cache of weapons and ammunition concealed in the suspects’ vehicle: 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition.

A few days after the initial arrests, the DSS added that another suspected syndicate member, Alhaji Adamu, widely known as Gado Banufe, was apprehended in Yauri, Kebbi State.

The agency said ongoing investigations indicate the suspects were major suppliers to the criminal network behind the Papiri attack.

The November assault on St. Mary’s Catholic School marked one of the largest mass kidnappings in recent Nigerian history.

Heavily armed attackers stormed the boarding school; some victims escaped during the raid, but hundreds were abducted and moved into remote forest areas, prompting a protracted search and rescue and negotiation effort by security agencies.