COURT JAILS FIVE TERRORISM SUSPECTS 25 YEARS EACH OVER NIGER SCHOOL ABDUCTION LOGISTICS
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced five men, 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 brought against them by the Federal Government.
The prosecution team was led by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, alongside M.A. Oladunjoye, while the defendants were represented by Akilahyel Shetima.
The convicts were identified as 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 Federal Government, the five men 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 a suspected Boko Haram member, Malam Ahmad, operating in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
The weapons and ammunition were reportedly concealed in sacks and transported in a blue Volkswagen Golf vehicle bearing Republic of Niger registration number BT 9990 DA.
Prosecutors told the court that the defendants knowingly facilitated the movement of the arms to support terrorist operations, contrary to the provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Following their guilty pleas, Justice Nyako sentenced each of the defendants to 25 years in prison and ordered the forfeiture of the vehicle used in transporting the weapons to the Federal Government.
Court documents revealed that between April 23 and 24, 2026, the convicts conspired to transport the cache of weapons on behalf of the suspected terrorist operative.
Three of the defendants, Goni Ibrahim Bindi, Sani Tukur, and Musa Alhaji Adamu, were also convicted for unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition after the weapons were discovered hidden inside sacks of dried fish during a security operation along the Kano-Kaduna Expressway.
In addition, Yusuf Mohammed was found guilty of failing to provide information that could have aided security agencies in apprehending Malam Ahmad, despite allegedly having knowledge of the suspect’s activities and whereabouts in the Gandu Forest area of Borgu Local Government Area.
The convictions stem from an investigation conducted by the Department of State Services (DSS) into the November 21, 2025 terrorist attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School.
During the attack, heavily armed terrorists riding motorcycles stormed the school and abducted students and teachers at gunpoint. Although about 50 students managed to escape, more than 250 others were forced into captivity and marched for days through the Kainji Lake Reserve Forest.
All the victims were eventually rescued and reunited with their families on December 24, 2025.
Subsequent investigations by the DSS uncovered the arms supply and logistics network that allegedly supported the terrorists behind the attack, leading to the arrest, prosecution, and eventual conviction of the five defendants.
The judgment is being viewed as a major milestone in Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts, particularly in targeting not only armed groups but also the individuals and networks responsible for supplying weapons, logistics, and operational support to terrorist organisations.
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