Court Sentences Five Terrorism Convicts to 25 Years Over Niger School Attack
Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced five men to 25 years’ imprisonment each for their roles in supporting terrorist activities linked to the November 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.
Justice Binta Nyako handed down the sentence on Thursday after the suspects, including two citizens of the Republic of Niger, pleaded guilty to terrorism-related offences and firearms violations.
The convicts were prosecuted for conspiring to support a terrorist group through the transportation of weapons and ammunition intended for Boko Haram operatives operating within Niger State.
According to court records, the defendants facilitated the movement of 15 AK-103 rifles and 1,434 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition from the Diffa region of Niger Republic to a Boko Haram member identified as Malam Ahmad.
The offences contravened provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested the suspects on May 31, 2026, in separate operations. During one of the raids, security agents recovered the cache of weapons concealed inside a Volkswagen Golf vehicle.
The court admitted the recovered arms and ammunition as exhibits and ordered the forfeiture of the vehicle to the Federal Government.
The convictions stem from investigations into the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Boarding School, where armed men abducted hundreds of pupils and staff.
While dozens of students escaped during the attack, more than 250 victims were reportedly marched into the Kainji Lake Reserve Forest before they were eventually rescued weeks later.
The incident triggered nationwide outrage and contributed to the Federal Government’s declaration of a national security emergency aimed at strengthening responses to terrorism, banditry and mass kidnappings.
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