All 24 girls taken from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, have been accounted for and freed, a development that brings enormous relief to their families and to every patriotic American who watches religious persecution abroad with growing alarm. The rescue, announced by Nigerian authorities on November 25, 2025, is a narrow victory in a wider security disaster that the world can no longer ignore.
The original abduction occurred on November 17, when gunmen stormed the school and carried off dozens of students; one girl escaped the same day, a grim reminder of how close tragedy came to turning even worse. These details make clear that this was not random crime but targeted assaults on children and communities that lack adequate protection from the state.
This Kebbi attack was just one horrific episode in a recent wave, including the mass raid on St. Mary’s Catholic school in Niger State where hundreds were taken, underscoring a pattern of lawlessness that preys on the vulnerable. When kidnappers treat schools and churches as soft targets, it is proof that failed leadership and tolerated terror are the real enemies, not the communities being victimized.
President Trump’s blunt warning to kidnappers and to any government that tolerates such attacks — posted publicly in early November and ordering the Department of Defense to prepare for possible action — was the kind of decisive rhetoric America used to be known for, and it sent a message the world desperately needed. Conservative Americans should be proud to see a commander-in-chief willing to name the persecutors, defend the persecuted, and threaten real consequences rather than empty condemnations.
That said, praise for the rescue must be paired with accountability. Nigeria’s government has tried to reassure everyone that steps will be taken, but words like “boots on the ground” and presidential statements cannot substitute for sustained security reform and the hard work of rooting out the criminal gangs and Islamist extremists who exploit vacuums of authority. The families whose children were stolen deserve not only statements but real, lasting protection from their own leaders.
Washington must keep pressure on Abuja while offering smart support — intelligence sharing, targeted sanctions, and pragmatic security assistance — and make clear that continued inaction will bring consequences, including suspension of aid and diplomatic costs. If the recent warnings provoked by the Trump administration move corrupt or complacent officials to act, then firm American leadership is working exactly as it should to defend religious freedom and human life.
Americans of conscience should celebrate the girls’ return and demand that this relief be permanent, not temporary. Stand with the families, stand with the persecuted Christians and all Nigerians suffering under banditry and terror, and insist that our leaders keep applying the muscle and moral clarity needed to stop these atrocities once and for all.
