Abuja Court Sentences Five Men to 25 Years Over Papiri School Attack

The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced five suspects to 25 years imprisonment for their involvement in the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.

Justice Binta Nyako handed down the sentence on Thursday, June 11, 2026, after the five men, including two Nigeriens, pleaded guilty to four terrorism-related charges. The charges included support for the commission of an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 16 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act.

In Count One, the suspects were accused of conspiring to convey 15 AK-103 rifles and about 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition from the Diffa region in the Republic of Niger to a Boko Haram member based in Borgu, Niger State.

The suspects were arrested on May 31, 2026, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at different locations. During one arrest, DSS operatives recovered 15 AK-47s and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition hidden in sacks inside a Volkswagen Golf car. The court ordered the forfeiture of the car to the Nigerian government.

The attack on the school occurred in the early hours of November 21, 2025, when dozens of gunmen on motorcycles stormed the Catholic Primary and Secondary Boarding School, kidnapping schoolchildren and teachers. While about 50 children managed to escape during the chaos, the gunmen reportedly marched over 250 students for days into the Kainji Lake Reserve Forest.