The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced five men to 25 years imprisonment each for terrorism-related offences connected to the attack on St. Joseph Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.
Justice Binta Nyako handed down the sentences on Thursday after the defendants pleaded guilty to charges filed by the Federal Government under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act.
The convicts — Yusuf Muhammad, also known as Bature; Goni Ibrahim Bindi, alias Goni Mutua; Sani Tukur, alias Danladi; Mubarak Ibrahim; and Musa Alhaji Adamu, also known as Gado Banufe — were found guilty of supporting terrorist operations and facilitating the movement of arms linked to Boko Haram insurgents.
According to court records, the defendants transported 15 AK-103 rifles and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition from the Diffa Region of the Niger Republic into Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State between April 23 and 24, 2026.
Prosecutors told the court that the weapons were concealed in sacks inside a Volkswagen Golf vehicle and were intended for a suspected Boko Haram associate. The vehicle was later intercepted and recovered by operatives of the Department of State Services.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the vehicle to the Federal Government.
The five suspects were arrested during separate DSS operations on May 31, 2026, while the recovered weapons and ammunition were tendered as exhibits during the trial.
The case is linked to the November 2025 attack on St. Joseph Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, where armed men invaded the school and abducted students and staff members before taking them into the Kainji Lake National Park forest area.
The incident sparked nationwide concern over the growing threat of terrorism and school abductions in parts of the country.
With the convictions and sentencing, the court concluded proceedings against the five defendants in the Papiri school attack-related terrorism case.
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