Nicki Minaj Confronts Nigerian Christian Genocide at United Nations

Nicki Minaj shocked the world last month when she traded her pink wigs for a black suit and stood before the United Nations not to promote an album, but to shine a spotlight on one of the most underreported atrocities of our time: the ongoing slaughter of Christians in Nigeria.

“In Nigeria, hundreds of communities live in fear simply because of how they worship,” she said on November 18th. “Protecting Christians is not about taking sides… it’s about uniting humanity.”

Minaj’s words marked a turning point. Her appearance, arranged by UN Ambassador Michael Waltz, brought rare global attention to a tragedy that legacy media and global elites have long chosen to ignore. While the Biden administration and the Obama White House before it looked the other way, it was President Trump who finally designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” a label that opens the door to sanctions, aid freezes, and direct pressure on a regime accused of complicity in anti-Christian violence.

Consider the staggering facts:

• Over 7,000 Nigerian Christians have been killed this year alone, with an additional 7,900 abducted, according to advocacy groups.

• More than 19,000 churches have been burned or destroyed.

• Since 2009, an estimated 100,000 Christians have been slaughtered in what many now call a silent genocide.

The attackers range from Fulani herdsmen militias to Islamic State affiliates, and their targets are overwhelmingly Christian. Yet instead of calling it what it is religious persecution the mainstream media continues to parrot the Nigerian government's excuses, framing the violence as merely “tribal” or “climate-related.” Groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province aren’t mowing down Christian villagers because of the weather. They’re doing it because they hate Christianity.

Senator Ted Cruz has had enough. For years, he’s sounded the alarm that the Nigerian government isn’t just failing to act it’s enabling the violence through Sharia-based laws and selective enforcement. Twelve Nigerian states enforce Islamic law, and blasphemy statutes are regularly used to jail or even execute Christians.

“This is not just incompetence,” Cruz said. “In some cases, it’s collaboration.”

That’s why Cruz is pushing the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, legislation that would sanction Nigerian officials who enforce Islamic law or aid Christian persecution. He says it’s time America uses its economic and diplomatic weight to demand change. And he’s not alone.

Humanitarian organizations operating in Nigeria confirm the brutal realities. Judd Saul, founder of Equipping the Persecuted, described how Nigerian authorities routinely fail to respond to warnings of impending massacres. “The media never shows up. They just repeat government lies. Every time Christians are killed, it’s always blamed on ‘unknown gunmen.’ But we know exactly who’s doing it,” Saul said.

Pastor Brad Brandon, who leads Christian aid efforts across Nigeria, said Christians are treated as second-class citizens in many parts of the country. “They can’t buy food, get medicine, or send their kids to school without facing discrimination,” he said. In Nigeria’s displaced persons camps, 80% of the 3.5 million residents are Christians who fled Islamist violence.

The Biden administration, however, reversed Trump’s original designation of Nigeria as a religious persecution hotspot until now. After mounting pressure from lawmakers and activists, the Trump administration has reportedly pushed to reimpose sanctions and revive the CPC designation, following Minaj’s high-profile remarks.

Ambassador Waltz is now seeking a multilateral fact-finding mission to hold Nigeria accountable. European lawmakers are beginning to pay attention too, and some are urging the EU to rethink its aid strategy.

Yet the threat doesn’t end at Nigeria’s borders. Senator Cruz warns that China is exploiting the chaos, quietly building influence by bankrolling Nigerian infrastructure in exchange for loyalty. While Western leaders debate semantics, Beijing tightens its grip on Africa’s most populous country one that could become a critical battleground in the global clash between freedom and authoritarianism.

“China doesn’t mind if Christians are persecuted,” Cruz warned. “In fact, a Nigeria dominated by anti-American Islamist groups is exactly what they want. It drives the country further away from the West and into the arms of the CCP.”

Despite global inaction, the tide may finally be turning. Churches across the U.S. have launched prayer vigils, aid campaigns, and legislative pushes. Editorial boards that once ignored Nigeria’s rural massacres are now weighing in, prompted in part by Minaj’s social media posts applauding Trump’s return to strong foreign policy.

For the survivors digging graves and rebuilding torched churches, that spotlight is long overdue. Whether it’s enough to stop the carnage remains to be seen. But as Waltz put it, “Sometimes the world pays attention only when someone unexpected steps forward.”

Let’s make sure they keep paying attention.

Share this article or subscribe to our newsletter for updates on global religious freedom.