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Hassan, Alhamdu

1889-1964
Sudan Interior Mission
Nigeria

From Islamic Scholar to the First African SIM Pastor in Northern Nigeria

Baba Alhamdu Hassan was a remarkable religious figure whose life story exemplifies the complex interplay of faith, migration, and transformation in colonial Northern Nigeria in the early 20th century. [1] Born in 1889 in Banguli, Doba District in the present-day Republic of Chad, Alhamdu began life immersed in Islamic tradition. His journey from a respected Islamic scholar to the first African Sudan Interior Mission (SIM, now Serving In Mission) indigenous pastor reflects both personal conviction and broader socio-religious shifts occurring in colonial northern Nigeria.

Early Life and Islamic Scholarship

Alhamdu migrated from the Republic of Chad to Nigeria, settling in Maiduguri.[2]
There, he pursued Islamic education and eventually became an Islamic scholar. He not only mastered the teachings of Islam but also mentored students who went on to teach others, contributing to the spread of and entrenchment of Islam in the region. From Maiduguri, Alhamdu moved to Jankasa in the southern region of Kaduna State, Nigeria, where he served as an Islamic teacher and was known as a seer, locally referred to as “Buga Kasa.” This role involved spiritual consultations—often by Fulani herdsmen—seeking his help in locating lost or stolen cattle. [3] This combination of religious and mystical authority made him highly respected in his community.

Conversion to Christianity

A significant turning point in Alhamdu’s life came in early 1931 when he visited the market in Manchok in southern Kaduna. At the market, he encountered Mr. Swam, a missionary with the Sudan Interior Mission and a teacher at the Kagoro Bible School (now ECWA Theological Seminary, Kagoro). As Mr. Swam preached, Alhamdu challenged the missionary’s teachings with his deep knowledge of the Qur’an, asserting they contradicted Islamic teachings. [4]

This public theological confrontation did not end in hostility. Instead, Mr. Swam invited Alhamdu: “If you want to understand my religion, come and meet in Kagoro.” Driven by a desire to defend Islam and prove its superiority, Alhamdu traveled to Kagoro. However, during his discussion with Mr. Swam, he experienced a profound revelation. On July 13, 1931, Alhamdu accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and was baptized around that same time. [5] Recognizing the risks of apostasy in a predominantly Muslim context, Alhamdu discreetly packed his belongings at night and moved from Jankasa to Kagoro. As a respected Islamic scholar, a public conversion could have endangered his life.

Christian Education, Marriage, and Early Ministry

After his conversion, Alhamdu enrolled in the Kagoro Bible School where he studied from 1931 to 1934. After graduation, he began working with SIM in Jankasa and its neighboring communities. His conversion and subsequent training equipped him to become a bridge figure between Christian missions and local Muslim communities.

In 1935, the Sudan Interior Mission sent Alhamdu to the SIM Girls’ School in Wushishi to find a Christian wife. There, he met Phoebe, a graduate of the school known for her intellect and godly character. [6]

They were married on November 11, 1935, and their union was blessed with children. Phoebe was not only a devoted wife but also a committed partner in ministry. Her education and training equipped her to teach women at the Kagoro Bible College. She actively promoted literacy and Christian discipleship among women in various mission stations where she and Alhamdu served. [7] She became a pioneer of the Women’s Fellowship in Kano, foundationally organizing and nurturing Christian women’s ministry in the region. Recalling her impact, their daughter Jummai Na’omi shared:

Our mother was a leader. She was the leader of the Women’s Fellowship in Kano before we left. She went to school as a girl and was made a teacher to the women. She taught them how to read and write, since many didn’t know how. In the evenings, the women would come to our house to learn. [8]

Through her teaching and leadership, Phoebe Alhamdu left an enduring legacy in the lives of countless women in northern Nigeria.

In 1938, SIM sent Alhamdu for basic first aid training at the Sudan United Mission (SUM) Vom Christian Hospital in present-day Plateau State. This aligned with the SIM’s strategy of establishing education and health institutions before planting churches. After a year of training, Alhamdu returned to Kagoro, where he served as a missionary and worked in the SIM dispensary there.

Missionary Work in Kano (1946 – 1964)

Alhamdu’s most enduring legacy was his work in Kano, beginning in 1946. He was selected to be the pastor of the SIM Church in the city, now ECWA Church Bishara Hausa no. 1, succeeding Dr. Myers of the SIM eye hospital. [9] His deep knowledge of Islam and fluency in Hausa made him an ideal candidate to lead a church in this predominantly Muslim region.

As a pastor, Alhamdu actively evangelized the city and its surrounding villages. He was known for his boldness in preaching outside the emir’s palace in Kano. Utilizing a gramophone to play Hausa Gospel songs, He drew the attention of passersby and used this opportunity to share the gospel. His unique evangelical style included quoting both the Bible and the Qur’an, appealing to Christian and Muslim audiences.

The impact of his ministry was significant. According to testimonies, many Hausa people would secretly collect Bibles from him at night – an indication of the quiet yet profound interest in the Christian faith within the Muslim-dominated city. The SIM bookstore provided him with Bibles to distribute as part of his outreach.

Personal Life and Legacy

As a lasting tribute to his life and ministry, the church he served in Kano established a nursery, primary, and secondary school named in his honor—ECWA Baba Alhamdu Schools. This initiative reflects the impact of Baba Alhamdu and his wife, Phoebe, whose shared commitment to education, Christian service, and mission shaped their family and the wider community. Together, they modeled a Christian household deeply rooted in faith, service, and the transformation of lives through learning and discipleship.

Alhamdu Hassan died in 1964, after more than three decades of faithful service as a pastor, missionary, and teacher. He was the second person to be buried in Kabarin Raka, a cemetery in Kano that has since become a symbolic resting place for the early Christian pioneers in the region and continues to be used today.

Conclusion

Alhamdu Hassan’s life is a testament to the transformative power of faith, courage, and commitment. His journey from Islamic scholar and mystical seer to Christian pastor and evangelist highlights the complexities and possibilities of religious identity in northern Nigeria. His legacy lives on in the communities he served and the growing body of Hausa Christians whose faith stories mirror his own.

Samaila Ayuba

Endnotes:

  1. Shobana Shankar, “Children of the Mission in Kano Emirate: Conflicts of Conversion in Colonial Northern Nigeria, C.1899-1953,” (Ph.D. Diss, University of California, Los Angeles), 46, 253.
  2. According to Shobana Shankar, Baba Alhamdu was among the “Sara boys” who migrated from Southern Chad to Nigeria. In Kano, the Sara boys were known as “soldiers of the French Army.” See, Shobana Shankar. Who Shall Enter Paradise? Christian Origins In Muslim Northern Nigeria, ca. 1890-1975 (Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 2014), 101.
  3. Samaila Alhamdu interviewed by Samaila Ayuba via WhatsApp call Monday, April 7, 2025, at 8:26 PM.
  4. Samaila Alhamdu interview.
  5. The exact date of his baptism is not known however according to the son, it seems he was baptized around the same time he accepted Christ Jesus as his personal Lord and savior.
  6. G. O. Olusanya. “The Freed Slaves Home – An Unknown Aspect of Northern Nigerian Social History,” Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, 1966 (3), 523-538.
  7. Lami Bakari. “Women In Mission: SIM/ECWA Women in Nigeria 1923 – 2013.” (Ph.D. Dissertation, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2015), 130.
  8. Bakari. “Women In Mission: SIM/ECWA Women in Nigeria 1923 – 2013,” 130.
  9. Adamu Baikie. Sabon Gari: The Simmering Melting Pot of Kano State (Zaria, Kaduna: Tamaza Publishing, 2021), 144.

Bibliography

Baikie, Adamu. Sabon Gari: The Simmering Melting Pot of Kano State. Zaria, Kaduna: Tamaza Publishing, 2021.

Bakari, Lami. “Women In Mission: SIM/ECWA Women in Nigeria 1923–2013.” Ph.D. dissertation, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2015.

Olusanya, G. O. “The Freed Slaves Home – An Unknown Aspect of Northern Nigerian Social History.” Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria 3 (1966): 523–538.

Shankar, Shobana. Who Shall Enter Paradise? Christian Origins in Muslim Northern Nigeria, ca. 1890–1975. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 2014.

———. “Children of the Mission in Kano Emirate: Conflicts of Conversion in Colonial Northern Nigeria, c.1899–1953.” Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.

Samaila Alhamdu, interview by Samaila Ayuba, WhatsApp call, April 7, 2025, 8:26 PM.

This biography, received in 2025, was researched and written by Samaila Ayuba, a third-year Ph.D. student at Boston University School of Theology.