A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced five persons, including two citizens of the Republic of Niger, to 25 years imprisonment each for providing logistical support to terrorists involved in the abduction of students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri Village, Niger State.
Justice Binta Nyako convicted and sentenced the defendants after they pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges filed by the Federal Government.
The prosecution was led by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, alongside M.A. Oladunjoye, while the defendants were represented by Akilahyel Shetima.
The convicts are Yusuf Mohammed, also known as Bature; Goni Ibrahim Bindi, alias Goni Mutuwa; Sani Tukur, alias Danladi; Mubarak Ibrahim; and Musa Alhaji Adamu, also known as Gado Banufe.
According to the prosecution, the defendants acted as arms couriers for terrorists by transporting 15 AK-103 rifles and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition from the Diffa Region of the Republic of Niger to one Malam Ahmad, identified as a Boko Haram member operating in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The weapons were concealed in sacks and transported in a blue Volkswagen Golf vehicle bearing Republic of Niger registration number BT 9990 DA.
The Federal Government told the court that the defendants knowingly facilitated the movement of the weapons and ammunition to support terrorist activities, contrary to the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Following their guilty pleas, Justice Nyako convicted all five defendants and sentenced them to 25 years imprisonment each.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the Volkswagen Golf used in the operation to the Federal Government.
One of the charges established that between April 23 and 24, 2026, the defendants conspired to transport the cache of weapons on behalf of Malam Ahmad.
Three of the convicts — Goni Ibrahim Bindi, Sani Tukur and Musa Alhaji Adamu — were also found to have unlawfully possessed the firearms and ammunition, which were concealed in sacks of dried fish and intercepted during a security operation along the Kano-Kaduna Expressway.
In addition, Yusuf Mohammed was convicted for failing to disclose information that could have assisted security agencies in apprehending Malam Ahmad, despite allegedly possessing knowledge of the terrorist’s activities and whereabouts in the Gandu Forest area of Borgu Local Government Area.
The convictions stemmed from an investigation by the Department of State Services (DSS) into the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School.
During the attack, terrorists riding motorcycles stormed the school and abducted students and teachers at gunpoint.
While about 50 students escaped, more than 250 others were forced to trek for days into the Kainji Lake Reserve Forest.
All the abducted victims were eventually rescued and reunited with their families on December 24, 2025.
Subsequent DSS investigations uncovered the logistics and arms supply network that supported the terrorists responsible for the attack, leading to the arrest and prosecution of the five convicts.
The judgment is regarded as a significant breakthrough in efforts to dismantle not only terrorist groups but also the supply chains and support structures that sustain their operations.
