ABUJA, Nigeria: The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja sentenced five men to 25 years in prison each on Thursday, June 11, 2026, for their involvement in the November 21, 2025, attack on St. Joseph Catholic Church in Papiri, Niger State.
Okay News reports that Justice Binta Nyako handed the sentence shortly after the men pleaded guilty to all four terrorism-related charges pressed against them.
The convicted individuals are Yusuf Muhammad, Goni Ibrahim Bindi, Sani Tukur, Mubarak Ibrahim, and Musa Alhaji Adamu. During the incident, gunmen invaded the premises and abducted over 300 students and staff members.
While about 50 of the students managed to escape, the attackers marched over 250 of the students for days into the Kainji Lake Reserve Forest. Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency, the Department of State Services, trailed the attackers and arrested the five men, including two citizens of the Republic of Niger.
Operatives recovered 15 AK-47 rifles and 1,434 rounds of live ammunition tucked in sacks inside a Volkswagen Golf car. The recovered arms and ammunition were tendered in court, and the judge ordered the forfeiture of the vehicle to the Nigerian government.
The charges detailed that the men conspired to transport the weapons from the Diffa region to a member of the Boko Haram terrorist group based in Borgu Local Government Area.
