By By Elizabeth Ugbo
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced five men, including two Nigerien nationals, to 25 years imprisonment each for their roles in the November 21, 2025 terrorist attack on St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Boarding School in Papiri, Niger State. Justice Binta Nyako delivered the judgment on Thursday after the defendants pleaded guilty to four terrorism-related charges filed by the Department of State Services (DSS). The court found that the men supplied weapons to Boko Haram and participated in activities linked to the mass abduction of schoolchildren and teachers.
Court Convicts Five Terrorism Suspects
Justice Nyako convicted the five suspects following their guilty plea to charges bordering on terrorism financing, arms trafficking, and supporting terrorist activities.
The offences violated Section 16 and Section 26(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as well as the Firearms Act.
The court sentenced each defendant to 25 years in prison.
Terrorists Supplied Weapons to Boko Haram
According to the charges, the convicts conspired to transport 15 AK-103 rifles and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition from the Diffa Region of the Republic of Niger.
They intended to deliver the weapons to Malam Ahmad, a Boko Haram member operating in Borgu, Niger State.
The DSS arrested the suspects at different locations less than two weeks before the trial.
During one operation, operatives recovered the rifles and ammunition concealed inside sacks in a Volkswagen Golf car.
The prosecution presented the recovered weapons before the court as evidence.
Justice Nyako also ordered the forfeiture of the vehicle to the Federal Government.
Attack Triggered National Outrage
The convictions relate to the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Boarding School in Papiri.
During the attack, dozens of armed men riding motorcycles stormed the school and abducted pupils and teachers at gunpoint.
About 50 children escaped during the confusion.
However, the attackers forced more than 250 students into the Kainji Lake Reserve Forest, where they remained in captivity for several days.
The incident sparked nationwide outrage and renewed concerns about worsening insecurity across Nigeria.
Tinubu Declared Nationwide Security Emergency
Following a series of deadly attacks and mass abductions, President Bola Tinubu declared a nationwide security emergency on November 26, 2025.
He also approved additional recruitment into the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force.
Furthermore, the President directed the DSS to deploy trained forest guards immediately to flush terrorists and bandits out of forests across the country.
Security agencies have since intensified counterterrorism operations in affected states.
DSS Intensifies Counterterrorism Operations
The successful prosecution highlights the DSS’s ongoing efforts to dismantle terrorist networks and disrupt the illegal movement of arms.
Authorities say they will continue targeting individuals who provide logistical support to terrorist organisations operating within and outside Nigeria.
