The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested five suspected arms traffickers, including two nationals of the neighbouring Niger Republic, over their involvement in supplying weapons to a Boko Haram faction linked to a series of high-profile school abductions in Nigeria. An insider source disclosed that the suspects were apprehended during intelligence-driven operations that uncovered a cache of arms and ammunition believed to be destined for insurgent commanders operating in the northwest and north-central regions.
Among those arrested are Yusuf Mohammed, also known as Bature, who is reportedly a wanted member of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (Boko Haram), and his associate, Mubarak Ibrahim. The duo were intercepted along the Zaria-Kaduna highway while allegedly travelling to receive a shipment of weapons.
Further investigations led operatives to Goni Ibrahim, an alleged cross-border arms courier from the Diffa Region of the Niger Republic, and another suspect identified as Tukur Sani. Security agents reportedly discovered a large cache of weapons concealed in a blue vehicle linked to the suspects.
“The operatives recovered 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition hidden in the vehicle,” the source revealed.
In a separate operation conducted days later, security personnel arrested another suspect, Alhaji Adamu, popularly known as Gado Banufe, in Yauri, Kebbi State, who is alleged to be a major supplier of arms across parts of Kebbi and neighbouring states.
Investigators believe the five suspects served as arms couriers and logistics coordinators for the Boko Haram faction led by Sadiku, which was blamed for the November 2025 abduction of 315 students and staff from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State. The same faction has also been linked to the recent kidnapping of more than 40 students and teachers from three schools in Oyo State.
Security agencies are continuing efforts to dismantle the wider network suspected of providing weapons, logistics and operational support to the insurgent group.
The Papiri Abduction
The abduction of hundreds of students and staff from St Mary’s Catholic primary and secondary boarding school in Papiri, Niger State, remains one of the most significant mass kidnappings in Nigeria's recent history.
In the early hours of 21 November 2025, armed men on motorcycles invaded the school in Agwara Local Government Area and kidnapped more than 300 pupils and employees. Although some students managed to flee during the attack, hundreds were forced into the dense forests surrounding Kainji Lake National Park.
Investigation revealed that the Kainji Lake forest corridor had evolved into a strategic hideout for terrorist and criminal groups operating across parts of Niger, Kebbi and Kwara states, all linked to Kuyanbana Forest that stretched from Kaduna to Kebbi State.
Residents and security analysts cited in the report identified two major extremist groups active in the region: Ansaru, an al-Qaeda-affiliated faction that splintered from Boko Haram, and a Boko Haram offshoot led by Abubakar Saidu, popularly known as Mallam Sadiku.
According to the investigation, Mr Sadiku’s faction emerged as the most probable group responsible for orchestrating the Papiri school attack.
The report further detailed how the abductors allegedly transported their captives through several communities before arriving at camps within the Kainji forest reserve without being intercepted by security personnel. Some of the students who were later released told reporters that their captors identified themselves as Boko Haram members.
The kidnapping attracted widespread international attention and renewed concerns over the deteriorating security situation in rural parts of Nigeria. After spending several weeks in captivity, about 100 students were freed. On 21 December 2025, federal and Niger State authorities announced that the remaining captives had also regained their freedom, stating that no student was still being held.
Commenting on the recent arrests of suspected arms suppliers linked to the group, a State Security Service (SSS) source described the development as a major breakthrough in ongoing efforts to uncover and dismantle the networks that provided weapons and logistical support to those behind the Papiri abduction.
Investigations into the wider support structure of the terrorist group, the source said, remain ongoing.