The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday sentenced each of the five persons arrested on May 31, 2026, by the Department of State Services (DSS) for masterminding the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, Niger State, to 25 years in prison.

The terrorists raided the boarding facilities of the school owned by the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora and managed by the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA), abducting 315 students and staff members.

While about 50 of the children managed to escape in the chaos that greeted the attack, the gunmen marched over 250 of the students for days into the Kainji Lake Forest Reserve.

But through coordinated efforts, all of the abducted pupils and staff members were safely rescued and freed in December 2025, with no captives left behind.

And in what could pass as the fastest terrorism trial in Nigerian history, Justice Binta Nyako handed the sentence shortly after the five men, including two Nigeriens, pleaded guilty to all the four terrorism-related charges pressed against them.

The charges bordered on support for commission of act of terrorism, breaching both Section 16 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as well as the the Firearms Act.

The five men – Yusuf Mohamned (Aka Bature), Goni Ibrahim Bindi (Aka Goni Mutuwa), Sani Tukur (Aka Danladi), Mubarak Ibrahin amd Musa Alhaji Adamu (Aka Gado Banufe) were arrested at different locations by DSS operatives less than two weeks ago.

In one of the arrests, DSS operatives recovered 15 AK-47 rifles and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition tucked in sacks in a Volkswagen Golf car. The recovered arms and ammunition were tendered in court. The court ordered the forfeiture of the Golf car to the Nigerian government.

COUNT 1 of the charge read: That you, Yusuf Muhammad (a.k.a. Bature), adult, male, thirty-three (33) years old of Gofanti village, Borgu LGA, Niger State, Goni Ibrahim Bindi (a.k.a. Goni Mutua), adult, male, twenty-three (23) years old of Awadiri, Diffa region, Republic of Niger, Sani Tukur (a.k.a. Danladi), adult, male, twenty five 25) years old of Sansani Displaced Persons Camp, Diffa region, Republic of Niger, Mubarak Ibrahim, adult, male twenty eight (28) years old of Gofanti village, Borgu LGA of Niger State, and Musa Alhaji Adamu (a.k.a Gado Banufe) between 23d and 24th April, 2026 did commit an offence, to wit: jointly conspired to render assistance to a terrorist by agreeing and intentionally playing various roles towards conveying fifteen (15) AK 103 rifles as well as about one thousand, four hundred and thirty-four (1,434) rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition from Diffa region, Republic of Niger to one Malam Ahmad, a member of the Boko Haram terrorist group based in Borgu LGA of Niger State. You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

COUNT 2: That you, Yusuf Muhammad (a.k.a. Bature), adult, male, thirty-three (33) years old of Gofanti village, Borgu LGA, Niger State, Goni Ibrahim Bindi (a.k.a. Goni Mutua), adult, male, twenty-three (23) years old of Awadiri, Diffa region, Republic of Niger, Sani Tukur (a.k.a. Danladi), adult, male, twenty five 25) years old of Sansani Displaced Persons Camp, Diffa region, Republic of Niger, Mubarak Ibrahim, adult, male twenty eight (28) years old of Gofanti village, Borgu LGA of Niger State, and Musa Alhaji Adamu (a.k.a Gado Banufe) between 23rd and 24th April, 2026 did commit an offence, to wit: rendered support for commission of act of terrorism to a terrorist by agreeing and conveying fifteen (15) AK 103 rifles as well as about one thousand, four hundred and thirty-four (1,434) rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition from Diffa region, Republic of Niger on behalf of one Malam Ahmad, a member of the Boko Haram terrorist group based in Borgu LGA of Niger State. You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 13(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

COUNT 3: That you, Goni Ibrahim Bindi (a.k.a. Goni Mutuwa), adult, male, twenty-three (23) years old of Awadiri, Diffa region, Republic of Niger, Sani Tukur (a.k.a. Danladi), adult, male, twenty five (25 years old of Sansani Displaced Persons Camp, Diffa region, Republic of Niger and Musa Alhaji Adamu (a.k.a Gado Banufe), sometime between 23° and 24t April, 2026 at Kwangila area, along Kano-Kaduna express, Zaria; within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did commit an offence, to wit: you had in your possession fifteen (15) AK 103 rifles and about one thousand, four hundred and thirty-four (1,434) rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition carefully concealed in sacks containing dried fish loaded in a blue Volkswagen (golf 3) car with Republic of Niger registered plate number BT 9990 DA. You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1) (a) (i), and (b) (ii) of the Firearms Act, CAP F28 LFN,
2004.

COUNT 4: That you, Yusuf Muhammad (a.K.a, Bature), adult, male, thirty-three (33) years old of Gofanti village, Borgu LGA, Niger State, sometimes between February 2025 and April, 2026 did commit an offence, to wit: you had information which you know or believed to be of material assistance in securing the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of Malam Ahmad, a known terrorist hibernating in Gandu forest, Borgu LGA of Niger State, and you failed to disclose such information to law enforcement or security officers. You thereby committed an offence in contravention of Section 16 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.