Nigeria religious violence claims intensify as US envoy and Nicki Minaj raise alarm at UN event highlighting attacks on Christian communities

The United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Michael Waltz, and American musician Nicki Minaj on Tuesday evening raised sharp concerns about Nigeria’s security crisis, spotlighting what they described as escalating attacks on Christian communities.

Also read: US lawmaker condemns persecution of Christians in Nigeria

They spoke at a United Nations event dedicated to global religious freedom titled Combatting Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria.

Waltz delivered a stark assessment, describing the violence in Nigeria as “genocide wearing the mask of chaos.”

He said Christian families in the Middle Belt and northern regions were living under constant threat, claiming that churches had been burned, pastors beheaded and children buried “for the crime of singing Amazing Grace.”

He further alleged that Nigerians had faced jail time under blasphemy laws “for simply wearing a cross.”

He connected recent kidnappings to this pattern of insecurity, stating that “25 little girls were ripped out of their school” only a day before the event.

Citing international findings, Waltz referenced the organisation Open Doors, which he said reports that Nigeria accounts for “80 per cent of the violence against Christians worldwide.”

The ambassador praised former President Donald Trump for what he called a decisive stand on the issue, recalling Trump’s creation of a Religious Liberty Commission and earlier UN engagements focused on persecuted Christian communities.

Waltz said protecting vulnerable believers was “a moral duty” and called for global voices that “pierce the silence” of the international community.

Minaj, speaking moments later, framed Nigeria’s crisis as part of a wider global erosion of freedom of belief. She said Christians in Nigeria were “being targeted, driven from their homes, and killed,” with families shattered and entire villages living in fear.

She stressed that similar threats existed in multiple countries and urged world leaders to act swiftly.

She expressed gratitude to Trump for “prioritising this issue” and championing religious liberty on the world stage.

Minaj said she hoped the event would “encourage deepened solidarity” and inspire urgent cooperation to protect the right to worship and live in peace.

The UN panel followed recent remarks by Trump asserting that a “Christian genocide” was unfolding in Nigeria and announcing the country’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern.”

Nigeria’s Federal Government has firmly rejected allegations of religiously motivated killings, arguing that insecurity stems from criminal and extremist activities not linked to faith.