The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced five individuals to 25 years in prison each for their involvement in the attack on St. Joseph Catholic Church School in Papiri, Niger State. The convicts were arrested on May 31, 2026, by the Department of State Services (DSS) for complicity in the November 21, 2025 assault on the school.
Fastest Terrorism Trial in Nigeria
Justice Binta Nyako delivered the sentence after the five men, including two Nigerien nationals, pleaded guilty to all four terrorism-related charges. The charges included supporting the commission of terrorism, violating Section 16 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act.
The convicted individuals are Yusuf Mohammed (alias Bature), Goni Ibrahim Bindi (alias Goni Mutuwa), Sani Tukur (alias Danladi), Mubarak Ibrahim, and Musa Alhaji Adamu (alias Gado Banufe). They were apprehended at various locations by DSS operatives within two weeks of the attack.
Recovery of Weapons
During one arrest, DSS operatives recovered 15 AK-47 rifles and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition concealed in sacks inside a Volkswagen Golf car. The weapons and ammunition were presented as evidence in court, which ordered the forfeiture of the vehicle to the Nigerian government.
The Attack on St. Joseph Catholic Church School
On November 21, 2025, dozens of gunmen on motorcycles stormed the Catholic Primary and Secondary Boarding School in Papiri. They rounded up students and teachers at gunpoint. While approximately 50 children escaped amid the chaos, the attackers marched over 250 students into the Kainji Lake Reserve Forest over several days.
Details of the Charges
Count 1: The defendants conspired between April 23 and 24, 2026, to assist a terrorist by conveying 15 AK-103 rifles and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition from the Diffa region of Niger Republic to Malam Ahmad, a Boko Haram member in Borgu LGA, Niger State. This violated Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Count 2: The defendants rendered support for terrorism by transporting the same weapons and ammunition on behalf of Malam Ahmad, contravening Section 13(1) of the Terrorism Act.
Count 3: Goni Ibrahim Bindi, Sani Tukur, and Musa Alhaji Adamu were found in possession of 15 AK-103 rifles and 1,434 rounds of ammunition concealed in sacks of dried fish inside a Volkswagen Golf car with Nigerien registration plate BT 9990 DA, violating the Firearms Act.
Count 4: Yusuf Mohammed was charged with failing to disclose information about Malam Ahmad's terrorist activities between February 2025 and April 2026, breaching Section 16 of the Terrorism Act.
