An American entrepreneur and outspoken critic of the Bola Tinubu administration’s handling of insecurity in Nigeria has responded to a controversial amateur video circulating on social media, which allegedly depicts Christians being slaughtered by suspected Fulani militia, by emphasising that education is the key to deradicalisation.
Mike Arnold, who shared a screenshot from what he described as “one of the more horrific videos to come out of Nigeria recently,” noted it is something “You do not want to watch it.”
The image shows “Children holding machine guns and participating in… satanic human sacrifice,” the former mayor of Blanco, Texas, claimed, clarifying that, “I posted it to call attention to the background.”
Screenshot from footage showing “Children holding machine guns” allegedly “participating in… satanic human sacrifice.”
“Displaced youth have a 50-60% chance of being radicalized.”
The advocate for human rights in Nigeria seized the opportunity to advocate for education for all in a country that has the highest number of out-of-school children globally, with estimates ranging from 10.5 million to over 20 million according to UNESCO.
“This is why we build schools for displaced children. It is known that without intervention, displaced youth have a 50-60% chance of being radicalized like this.
“And with as many as 10-12 million displaced today. We’re looking at 5-6 million more bloodthirsty terrorists like this,” he said.
Mike Arnold, US-based entrepreneur and fervent critic of the Bola Tinubu Administration
“Their stated goal is to use Nigeria as a launchpad for global jihad.”
Arnold provided context by stating that terrorists aim to use Nigeria as an operational command centre for achieving worldwide jihad.
“Their stated goal is to use Nigeria as a launchpad for global jihad. It’s now the epicenter of global terror — ISIS, Al Qaida, etc — all headquarter there, with the government covering for them.
“The recent terrorist mass shooter at Old Dominion was radicalized in Nigeria. That’s a taste of what is to come,” he disclosed.
Pointing to the global war on terror, the critic opined that what is happening is beyond Nigeria and Africa to handle alone.
“Nigeria can’t withstand this. Africa can’t.”
“Nigeria can’t withstand this. Africa can’t. The world can’t. The thought of it, a vast army of jihadis, with a trillion dollars of minerals that is a thousand billion dollars for those who are mathematically challenged — it’s downright apocalyptic,” he said.
He highlighted the work of Africa Arise International, a non-profit organisation he founded that builds schools in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in West Africa to address their educational needs.
The producer of Me and Ms. Hanatu, a film project which aims to expose genocide in the region, emphasised that all hope is not lost, stating, “There is a solution!”
“Testimonials from our school children are incredible. They showed up wanting to get guns and go back to fight and kill. Now they have an education, hope, vision, a path forward and they want to go back to rebuild.
“This is perhaps the most important work that can be done today, anywhere. We presently have 600 plus full-time students in our Arise Academies, displaced children in Abuja and we’re growing fast,” he maintained.
“We fight back with Education.”
In a Facebook post on 24 December 2025, he appreciated the generous donations they received “to build this brand new school campus in the largest camp for displaced Christians in the area of Abuja (the capital of Nigeria). Once complete, it will serve some 500 students with a free, high-quality education.”
Arnold with some of the schoolchildren. Credit: Africa Arise International
According to Arnold, “We presently have 3 other campuses in operation, serving some 600 displaced children.”
He lamented that “The jihad group who massacred their loved ones and burned their churches, schools and homes is named Boko Haram. This literally means ‘Western Education is Forbidden.’
“They recruit from the displaced and uneducated–and without intervention, it is said some 50-60% are likely to be radicalized.”
Once again, pointing to education as a tool for emancipation, the American insisted: “We fight back with Education. Testimonies from our schools prove that this gives them hope, strength of character, and a path out of displacement.
“By God’s grace, He is using us to break the cycle of death. Graduates of our program are equipped and motivated to rebuild with hope, not destroy with hate.”
The humanitarian urged for support to “build more schools, hire more teachers and reach more children before it’s too late.”
