Michael Waltz, United States Ambassador to the United Nations and Nicki Minaj, American rapper, on Tuesday raised fresh alarm over Nigeria’s persistent security challenges.
At a UN platform on religious freedom, they highlighted what they described as targeted violence against Christian communities.
The event, titled “Combatting Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria,” brought together diplomats, activists, and faith-based organisations to examine rising attacks on religious minorities around the world.
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Nigeria dominated the discussion, as speakers pointed to a troubling pattern of mass killings, frequent kidnappings, and the systematic burning of churches across the North and Middle Belt.
Waltz, delivering a keynote address, described the violence in Nigeria as “genocide wearing the mask of chaos.”
“In the Middle Belt and in the North, churches burn, mothers bury their children for the crime of singing Amazing Grace; pastors have been beheaded for preaching the Sermon on the Mount.
“Entire villages wake up to gunfire because they dare to commit the crime, the crime of calling Jesus their Lord. People go to jail under blasphemy laws for simply wearing a cross.
“This is not random violence. This is genocide wearing the mask of chaos”, he said.
Waltz also referenced the latest reports of mass abductions, including the kidnapping of 25 schoolchildren on Monday, describing them as part of a long-running pattern of extremist-driven attacks on rural Christian communities.
Citing figures from advocacy group Open Doors, he said Nigeria accounts for “80 per cent of the violence against Christians worldwide.”
The ambassador praised Donald Trump, the US President, for what he described as a strong and consistent stance on global religious persecution, including the Nigerian crisis.
Waltz credited Trump with placing the issue at the centre of US foreign policy, noting the president’s 2019 UN meeting on global religious freedom and his creation of the Religious Liberty Commission.
“He has reminded the world that protecting Christians is not about politics. It is a moral duty,” Waltz said, adding that countries must adopt clearer positions and demand accountability from perpetrators.
Minaj, who also spoke at the session, echoed the concerns, emphasising that the violence in Nigeria reflects a global struggle for freedom of belief.
She said Christian communities in Nigeria had suffered displacement, killings, and the destruction of property solely because of their faith.
“In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes, and killed. Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart, and entire communities live in fear constantly, simply because of how they pray”, she said.
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She described the issue as one requiring immediate, coordinated action across nations.
“Sadly, this problem is not only a growing problem in Nigeria, but also in so many other countries across the world, and it demands urgent action,” she added, thanking Trump for “prioritising this issue and for his leadership on the global stage.”
The event took place days after Trump declared that a “Christian genocide” was underway in Nigeria and announced that the US would designate the country as a “Country of Particular Concern”, a classification reserved for governments accused of severe violations of religious freedom.
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