DSS Unmasks Gun Suppliers Behind Papiri School Abduction

By Ayo Kehinde

The Department of State Services (DSS) has uncovered a major arms trafficking network linked to the November 2025 mass abduction at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, arresting five suspected gun suppliers, including a foreign arms dealer from the neighbouring Niger Republic.

The suspects were allegedly responsible for supplying weapons to the gunmen who carried out the attack on the Catholic boarding school, one of the deadliest mass kidnappings in Nigeria’s recent history.

The DSS on Monday said the operation began with the interception of three suspects along the Zaria-Kaduna Highway while they were allegedly on their way to receive a consignment of weapons intended for criminal groups.

The Service disclosed that intelligence gathered from the initial arrests led operatives to a wider arms trafficking network, culminating in the arrest of an international arms courier, identified as Goni Ibrahim from the Diffa Region of the Niger Republic, and his alleged accomplice, Tukur Sani.

According to the DSS, a search of the suspects’ vehicle led to the recovery of 15 AK-103 assault rifles, 15 magazines and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition concealed inside the vehicle.

Security operatives believe the weapons were destined for armed gangs involved in kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes across northern Nigeria.

The DSS further revealed that another suspected member of the syndicate, Alhaji Adamu, popularly known as Gado Banufe, was arrested days later in Yauri, Kebbi State, as investigators expanded efforts to dismantle the network.

Preliminary investigations, according to the Service, established that the suspects played key roles in supplying weapons to the gunmen responsible for the Papiri school abduction, an attack that triggered nationwide outrage and renewed concerns over the growing threat posed by heavily armed criminal groups.

The DSS said investigations remain ongoing and pledged to track down additional members of the syndicate, including those involved in procuring, transporting and distributing weapons to criminal organisations.

The Service reaffirmed its commitment to disrupting arms trafficking networks and strengthening collaboration with other security agencies to combat kidnapping, banditry and related threats to national security.

On November 21, 2025, dozens of armed men invaded St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, overwhelming local security personnel and forcing their way into student hostels and staff residences. While some students and school workers managed to escape during the attack, more than 250 victims were reportedly marched into the vast Kainji Lake Reserve forest, where they were held by their captors.