The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced five men connected to the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Joseph Catholic Church School in Papiri, Niger State, to 25 years imprisonment each for terrorism-related offences.
The convicts, arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on May 31, 2026, were found guilty after pleading guilty to all four counts bordering on terrorism financing, support for terrorist activities, illegal possession of firearms, and failure to disclose information about a known terrorist.
In what observers have described as one of the swiftest terrorism prosecutions in Nigeria’s history, Justice Binta Nyako delivered the judgment on Thursday shortly after the defendants admitted their roles in the crimes.
The five convicts are Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Bature; Goni Ibrahim Bindi, alias Goni Mutuwa; Sani Tukur, alias Danladi; Mubarak Ibrahim; and Musa Alhaji Adamu, popularly known as Gado Banufe. Two of the convicts are citizens of the Republic of Niger.
During the trial, prosecutors revealed that the defendants played critical roles in transporting 15 AK-103 rifles and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition from the Diffa Region of Niger Republic to one Malam Ahmad, an alleged member of the Boko Haram terrorist group operating in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
According to court documents, the weapons were intercepted by DSS operatives while concealed inside sacks of dried fish loaded into a blue Volkswagen Golf vehicle bearing Niger Republic registration number BT 9990 DA.
The recovered arms and ammunition were tendered as exhibits before the court. Justice Nyako subsequently ordered the forfeiture of the vehicle used in the operation to the Federal Government.
The court held that the defendants conspired to assist a terrorist organisation, facilitated the delivery of weapons to terrorists, illegally possessed prohibited firearms and ammunition, and in the case of Yusuf Muhammad, deliberately concealed information capable of aiding security agencies in apprehending a wanted terrorist leader.
The convictions are connected to investigations into the notorious attack on St. Joseph Catholic Primary and Secondary Boarding School in Papiri, Niger State, where dozens of armed men riding motorcycles stormed the institution in the early hours of November 21, 2025.
The attackers reportedly rounded up students and teachers at gunpoint. Although about 50 students escaped during the ensuing confusion, more than 250 pupils were forced into the Kainji Lake National Park forest by the gunmen, triggering national outrage and an extensive security operation.
Security authorities described the convictions as a major breakthrough in efforts to dismantle terrorist logistics networks and prosecute individuals providing material support to insurgent groups operating within and around Nigeria’s borders.
The judgment is expected to send a strong signal to collaborators and facilitators of terrorist organisations that Nigerian authorities are intensifying efforts to cut off the supply chains and support structures sustaining insurgent activities across the country.
