In the middle of the night, while most families slept peacefully, darkness came for a school in Kebbi State, Nigeria. Armed men crashed into the Hassan family’s home at 3:30 a.m., killing a husband and dragging terrified girls into the bush. Twenty-five daughters — each with dreams, innocence, and God-given worth — were stolen in moments.
Amina Hassan’s testimony is almost unbearable:
“I thought it was animals outside. Then I heard the bang. By the time we got up, they were already inside with guns. They told her to lie down so they could shoot her. She begged to go and ease herself, and when they opened the door they saw other girls and left her.”[1]
Her daughter survived only because she begged to step outside and, in that sliver of distraction, fled into the bush. She hid until morning, shaken but alive.
Many others were not so fortunate. And Nigeria’s leadership cannot hide behind press conferences anymore.
Just months ago, the Minister of Education stood on national television claiming that Nigeria had gone “12 months without a school abduction.” He praised “focused policies,” “historic spending,” and a triumphant Safe School Initiative.
But the bodies of innocent Nigerians now testify to the truth: the government did not end school kidnappings — children were still being taken, but officials were too busy taking victory laps.
Civil rights groups have rightly called these boasts propaganda. Western officials — from the Pope to U.S. lawmakers — have issued warnings. And Christian communities, already hammered by targeted genocide, understand what is really happening on the ground.
This is not random chaos. This is a pattern. A predictable, preventable, and devastating pattern.
It is a pattern of armed Fulani ethnic militias targeting Christian-majority regions. A pattern of porous security despite billions spent on defense. A pattern of government declarations that collapse the moment reality intrudes.
The Hassan family’s grief is not isolated. Their suffering is not unique. And the trauma inflicted on these girls is not an accident — it is the result of apathy toward Christian victims and a security architecture that has failed its most basic duty: to protect the innocent and punish the wicked.
The first step toward healing is refusing to pretend. The first step toward justice is naming evil. The first step toward protecting the next school is acknowledging that the last school was not protected.
So let us say this plainly: If a nation spending billions on security cannot stop armed men from walking into a school at 3:30 a.m., the issue is not funding — it is integrity. It is competence. It is accountability.
How many more schools must fall? How many fathers must die? How many daughters must be buried in lies before Abuja stops boasting and starts protecting?
Families in Nigeria are not asking for sympathy — they are asking for help. They are asking for someone to do what their own government has failed to do: protect their children and tell the truth about the danger they live in.
This is the moment for action. Not tomorrow. Not after the next attack. Now
Support the work on the ground. Strengthen the communities under threat. Make sure these families are not abandoned a second time.
Nigeria may pretend the crisis is over. We know it isn’t. And this is where we take our stand.
Will you stand with us at “Equipping the Persecuted”?
Pastor Sam Jones serves Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Humboldt, IA as Senior Pastor. He married the love of his life, Sarah, in 2013; they have two sons, Thomas and Henry. He is most known for his teachings on the 4 spheres of delegated government and for being a voice for the pre-born.
In addition to his Pastoral schedule, Pastor Sam is an avid podcaster and has been known to dabble in radio as well. His political commentary has appeared in dozens of news outlets across the country including The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and The Iowa Standard.
Pastor Sam is the author of 5 Steps to Kill a Nation. He is also a co-author of Social Injustice, Church and State, and Enemies Within the Church Bible Study.
