Five Masterminds of Papiri Church Attack Sentenced to 25 Years Each

The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced five men to 25 years each for their roles in the November 21, 2025 attack on St. Joseph Catholic Church in Papiri, Niger State. They pleaded guilty to terrorism and firearms offences under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act and the Firearms Act. The suspects — Yusuf Muhammad (aka Bature), Goni Ibrahim Bindi (aka Goni Mutuwa), Sani Tukur (aka Danladi), Mubarak Ibrahim and Musa Alhaji Adamu (aka Gado Banufe) — were arrested by the DSS in late May. Operatives recovered 15 AK-47 rifles and 1,434 rounds of ammunition concealed in a Volkswagen Golf, which the court ordered forfeited to the federal government. In the early hours of the attack, dozens of gunmen on motorcycles stormed the Catholic boarding school, abducting over 250 students and teachers. While about 50 children escaped in the chaos, most were marched into the Kainji Lake Reserve Forest for days before their rescue.

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