A federal high court in Abuja has sentenced five men linked to the 2025 Papiri kidnapping of more than 300 students after the men pleaded guilty to terrorism related offences.
The defendants, identified as Yusuf Mohammed, also known as Bature, Goni Ibrahim Bindi also known as Goni Mutuwa, Sani Tukur also known as Danladi, Mubarak Ibrahim, and Musa Alhaji Adamu also known as Gado Banufe, pleaded guilty to a four-count charge bordering on terrorism financing and support, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, and concealment of information about a suspected terrorist.
The judge convicted all five defendants and sentenced them to 25 years in prison on the first count, while the third, fourth, and fifth defendants received an additional seven years each on counts two and three. Yusuf Mohammed received an extra 25-year sentence on the fourth count, with Justice Nyako ordering that the sentences run concurrently from the date of their arrest.
The judge also directed that the convicts serve their terms at facilities designated by the Minister of Interior and ordered the forfeiture of all exhibits, including a Volkswagen vehicle used in transporting the weapons, to the federal government. According to the charge, the defendants conspired to transport the weapons from the Diffa region of the Republic of Niger to a suspected Boko Haram member in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger state.
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In November 2025, gunmen abducted 315 people, including 303 students and 12 teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri village, Niger state, with 50 pupils escaping within 24 hours and the remaining abductees released over the following weeks.
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