*Recovers 15 AK-103 rifles, 1,434 rounds of ammunition in major counter-terrorism operation
In a significant breakthrough the Department of State Services (DSS), have arrested five suspected arms couriers, including two foreign nationals from Niger Republic, believed to be key suppliers to the gunmen behind the infamous abduction of hundreds of pupils and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.
The arrests, intelligence sources disclosed, followed weeks of painstaking surveillance and covert operations targeting a cross-border arms trafficking network, allegedly servicing terrorist and bandit groups operating across Nigeria’s North-West and North-Central regions.
Among those arrested is Yusuf Mohammed, popularly known as Bature, a wanted member of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (Boko Haram), alongside his associate, Mubarak Ibrahim.
The duo were intercepted along the Zaria-Kaduna Highway, while reportedly en route to collect a fresh consignment of weapons intended for terrorist commanders operating in the forests.
Security sources said the breakthrough led investigators to another suspect, Goni Ibrahim, identified as an international arms courier from the Diffa Region of neighbouring Niger Republic.
He was arrested alongside an accomplice, Tukur Sani, during a follow-up operation.
A search of the vehicle used by the suspects uncovered a deadly arsenal concealed in hidden compartments.
Recovered were 15 nos, AK-103 assault rifles, 15 magazines and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, enough to equip a sizeable armed cell.
Investigators believe the cache was destined for criminal groups responsible for some of the most notorious attacks recorded in recent months.
The dragnet widened further days later when DSS operatives tracked and arrested another suspected member of the syndicate, Alhaji Adamu, alias Gado Banufe, in Yauri, Kebbi State.
He is believed to be a major supplier of arms across the Kebbi axis and surrounding border communities.
Preliminary investigations, according to security sources, indicate that the five suspects served as critical logistics providers and arms couriers to the gunmen who carried out the shocking November 21, 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Boarding School in Papiri.
The Papiri abduction sent shockwaves across Nigeria and beyond after scores of heavily armed gunmen riding motorcycles stormed the school in the early hours of the morning, overwhelming local security and rounding up students and staff at gunpoint.
More than 300 pupils and teachers were initially seized in what became one of the largest school kidnappings recorded in Nigeria in recent years.
As panic spread across Niger State, about 50 children managed to escape during the chaotic march into the forest.
The remaining captives were forced deep into the dense Kainji Lake Reserve forests, where they endured weeks of uncertainty in captivity.
The incident reignited national concern over the resurgence of mass abductions targeting schools, a tactic that has plagued parts of northern Nigeria for more than a decade.
Security analysts warned at the time that sophisticated arms supply chains and cross-border trafficking networks were sustaining the operations of bandit and terrorist groups.
Following sustained pressure from security agencies and coordinated rescue operations involving intelligence services, the military and other security formations, all the abducted pupils and staff were eventually freed.
On December 21, 2025, federal authorities confirmed the release of the last batch of 130 captives, declaring that no student remained in captivity.
The latest DSS operation is now being viewed as a major step toward dismantling the support structures that enable terrorist and bandit groups to execute large-scale attacks.
Security officials say investigations are continuing, with more arrests expected as authorities work to uncover the full extent of the arms trafficking network and identify additional collaborators operating within and outside Nigeria’s borders.
For families of the Papiri victims, the arrests offer hope that those who supplied the weapons used to terrorise hundreds of their children may finally be brought to justice.
