It was around 5 a.m. in Maga, a small community located in north central Nigeria. Schoolgirls were at the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS), groggy-eyed but ready for another day of learning. Then suddenly, what started off as a normal, quiet morning, quickly descended into a bloodbath of terror and death — before anyone could wrap their minds around what was happening.

Instead of class, a swarm of armed men scaled the school’s fences — ready to kill. Screams reverberated as staff and children ran for safety. Local police arrived to counter the attackers, but they were overtaken. Allegedly, government officials were warned of a potential attack, but they were nowhere to be seen. So, with little in their way, the militants began seizing girls for captivity. The principal, who was unwilling to go down without a fight, stepped in to protect his students only to be murdered in the process. At least 25 innocent girls were abducted by killers.

This isn’t the first time Maga has endured such violence. This simple community has “come under multiple attacks in recent time.” However, as BBC News noted, Monday’s attack was “the first major school abduction since March 2024, when more than 200 pupils were seized from a school in Kuriga, Kaduna state.” The outlet added, “Over the past decade, schools in northern Nigeria have become frequent targets for armed groups, who often carry out abductions to seek ransom payments or leverage deals with the government.”

Nigerian officials refer to these kinds of attackers as “bandits,” but, as Breitbart noted, “their true identity can range from criminal gangs seeking profit to jihadi terrorists from groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).” The reality is that terrorists have been wreaking havoc in Nigeria for some time, with countless deliberate attacks on the Christians dwelling there. In 2025 alone, there have been over 7,000 Christians murdered in the country. Thousands upon thousands of churches have been destroyed and schools are increasingly becoming targeted points of attack.

Soberingly, however, GGCSS was not the only place met with tragedy on Monday.

That same day, another attack ensued in the Kagarko Local Government Area. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) released a press statement with deeper insight: “In the early hours of Monday, November 17, armed assailants attacked the residence of Father. Bobbo Paschal, priest of St. Stephen Parish, and abducted him. According to the archdiocese, in the same assault, the militants killed the brother of another priest, Father Anthony Yero and kidnapped many other individuals. The archdiocese has not reported any other fatalities at this time.”

As the statement further emphasized, “Church authorities are urgently calling on all people of goodwill to join in prayer for the safety and swift release of Fr. Bobbo Paschal and all those abducted, and for the peaceful repose of the deceased. ACN expresses deep concern over this latest act of violence targeting Christian communities and clergy in Nigeria and remains in close contact with the local Church as the situation develops.”

President Donald Trump recently designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) due to such severe religious persecution. However, intense violence rages on. The Trump administration has threatened to withhold aid from Nigeria. It’s even floated the idea of sending in U.S. military troops. While no course has been determined as of yet, Family Research Council’s Arielle Del Turco spoke with The Washington Stand concerning the recent violence.

“The Nigerian government has fiercely denied that there is a religious persecution problem in Nigeria,” she said. “They don’t want the shameful association that comes with that. However, when Muslim Fulani militants rampage Christian villages shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and kill Christians, that is a clear persecution issue.” Del Turco, who serves as director of FRC’s Center for Religious Liberty, explained how “if the Nigerian government doesn’t want their country associated with persecution, they must do a far better job protecting Christians and cracking down on Muslim terrorists and militants.” Ultimately, she asserted, “There is reason to believe that Nigerian authorities have more capacity to crack down on these attacks than they are utilizing.”

According to Del Turco, the recent “CPC designation has a real chance to make a substantial difference in Nigeria, particularly because President Trump seems interested in enforcing consequences to pressure the Nigerian government to do more to protect Christians and others who are routinely targeted.” As she told TWS, “President Trump’s justice-oriented messaging on Nigeria” is good, largely because “he is recognizing that this persecution is unacceptable and it can’t be business as normal with the Nigerian government until they take steps to address it.”

“The Trump administration hasn’t announced the actions it will take,” Del Turco concluded, “but I am hopeful that it will be enough to get the attention of the Nigerian government and hopefully result in changes on the ground for Nigerian Christians living in Muslim-dominated areas of the country.”