DSS nabs 2 foreigners, 3 others over Niger school abduction

At least two Nigerien nationals and three other masterminds linked to the abduction of school children in Papiri, Niger State, have been arrested by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS). The operatives also recovered a large cache of arms, including 15 AK rifles and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition from them. Gunmen, on November 21, 2025, attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri village, Niger State, abducting nearly 300 students and staff. While about 50 of the children managed to escape in the chaos that greeted the attack, over 250 others were marched for days into the Kainji Lake Reserve forest. On December 21, 2025, the federal government and Niger State officials confirmed the rescue and safe return of the remaining 130 students and teachers, with government officials confirming that not a single pupil remained in captivity. Giving an update on the incident, sources within security agencies disclosed that one Yusuf Mohammed, aka Bature, and his accomplice, Mubarak Ibrahim, were arrested on the Zaria-Kaduna highway. One of the sources said Bature has been on the list of wanted members of the Boko Haram terror organisation. According to the official, Bature and Ibrahim were on their way to collect a consignment of arms for their commanders when they were nabbed by the secret operatives. He also revealed that a follow-up operation led to the arrest of Goni Ibrahim, an international arms courier from Diffa Region, the Niger Republic. He added that one Tukur Sani, identified as Ibrahim’s accomplice, was also arrested. Another security source said AK rifles, 15 magazines and 1,434 rounds of 7.62 mm live ammunition were concealed in an unnamed blue car that the arrested men were travelling in. The source added that days after the arrests, another member of the arms courier syndicate, identified as Alhaji Adamu aka Gado Banufe, known to be supplying arms around the Kebbi axis, was arrested in Yauri, Kebbi State. He further disclosed that preliminary investigations established that the five men served as arms couriers to the gunmen who carried out the November 2025 attacks. Neither the DSS nor the Office of the National Security Adviser could be reached for comments on the arrest but the Country Director of Global Peace Foundation Nigeria, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, confirmed the arrest. Hayab, who doubles as the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern states and FCT, said people of good conscience should not only criticise government when it fails to meet expectations but should also acknowledge positive outcomes whenever they occur.