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DSS Busts Arms Ring: 5 Couriers Held, 2 Tied to Papiri Abduction
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested five suspected arms couriers, including two foreign nationals, linked to the November 2025 mass abduction at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.
A statement by the service says, the suspects supplied weapons to the gunmen who kidnapped nearly 300 students and staff during the attack.
According to NTANetwork, the operation began with the interception of three suspects along the Zaria-Kaduna Highway as they allegedly moved to receive a weapons consignment.
A follow-up raid led to the arrest of international arms courier Goni Ibrahim from the Diffa Region of Niger Republic and his accomplice, Tukur Sani.
However, Operatives recovered 15 AK-103 rifles, 15 magazines, and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition concealed in their vehicle.
Meanwhile, days later, another suspected syndicate member, Alhaji Adamu, also known as Gado Banufe, was apprehended in Yauri, Kebbi State.
Investigations reveal that the suspects were key suppliers of arms to the gunmen behind the Papiri school attack, one of Nigeria’s most notorious mass kidnappings in recent years.
The November 21, 2025 raid saw armed men storm the Catholic boarding school and abduct hundreds of students and teachers. While some escaped during the attack, more than 250 victims were taken into the Kainji Lake Reserve forest.