Nigeria arrests five arms couriers in school kidnapping case

Nigerian security forces have arrested five suspected arms couriers, including two foreign nationals from Niger, in connection with the mass abduction of students and staff from a Catholic boarding school last year. The Department of State Services announced the arrests following coordinated operations across Kaduna, Niger, and Kebbi states, which also led to the recovery of a significant weapons cache.

The suspects are alleged to have supplied weapons to the gunmen who attacked St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri village, Niger State, on November 21, 2025. During that early morning raid, dozens of armed men on motorcycles stormed the school, abducting nearly 300 students and staff. While approximately 50 pupils escaped during the incident, more than 250 others were marched into the Kainji Lake Reserve forest, where they were held captive for weeks. All remaining captives were rescued and safely reunited with their families on December 21, 2025, according to federal and state authorities.

Security officials identified one of the arrested suspects as Yusuf Mohammed, also known as Bature, who is listed as a wanted member of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, commonly...