Rapper Nicki Minaj delivered an emotional and forceful appeal at the United Nations on Tuesday, using her global platform to spotlight the intensifying persecution of Christians in Nigeria. The event, held at the U.S. Mission to the UN, brought together survivors of religious violence, international experts, and American officials to urge action on what they described as a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Minaj, who convened the discussion alongside her pastor, said the scope and brutality of the attacks demanded worldwide attention.
“In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed,” Minaj said. “Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart and entire communities live in fear constantly, simply because of how they pray.”
Minaj emphasized that the crisis transcends national borders and political divides, calling it not a matter of “choosing sides,” but of “uniting humanity.” She expressed hope that the event would shake the UN’s “foundation” and push it toward fulfilling its core mandate of ensuring global peace and security.
High-Level Panel Convened to Address Crisis
Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner moderated the event, which featured U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, ADF International senior counsel Sean Nelson, White House senior adviser on international religious freedom Sarah Makin, and Rev. Gabriel Makan, who joined live from Nigeria.
Faulkner highlighted the alarming rise in attacks by 22 radical Islamic terrorist groups operating in Nigeria, stressing that many victims are children. She criticized Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s response as insufficient, warning that “the stakes are too high” for inaction.
Nelson described an “extreme rise” in Christian deaths across northern Nigeria, noting that ADF International is backing a Supreme Court challenge to the use of the death penalty for blasphemy. He referenced a case involving a young man who may be executed for sharing song lyrics deemed blasphemous in a text message.
Makan, speaking from within the conflict zone, said simply: “We need help,” linking local terrorist factions to ISIS-affiliated networks. Calling Tinubu’s lack of action “unfortunate,” he urged the United States and international community to intervene.
Trump Administration’s Designation Sparks Minaj’s Advocacy
Minaj’s involvement followed President Donald Trump’s decision in early November to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for severe religious freedom violations. The designation triggered diplomatic tools and potential sanctions designed to pressure the Nigerian government.
Responding to reports online prior to the Tuesday appearance, Minaj said she was “grateful to live in a country with religious freedom” and stressed that “numerous countries all around the world are being affected by this horror.” Her post drew over 50 million views, prompting Ambassador Waltz to invite her to the UN to engage more deeply on the issue.
Minaj accepted, saying she believes her influence has “a bigger purpose.”
Waltz: ‘Blood That Still Cries from Nigerian Soil’
Ambassador Waltz delivered some of the event’s most visceral remarks, recounting recent atrocities in vivid detail.
“Today we speak of blood, the blood that still cries from Nigerian soil,” he said.
Waltz cited a series of brutal incidents: the kidnapping of 25 schoolgirls earlier this week, the beheading of pastors for teaching the Sermon on the Mount, the burning of churches over congregations singing “Amazing Grace,” and villages attacked at dawn for “the crime of calling Jesus their Lord.”
According to Waltz, 12 Muslim-majority Nigerian states have implemented sharia law, contributing to a climate of repression. Citing data from the persecution-monitoring NGO Open Doors, he said Nigeria accounts for 80% of all Christian killings worldwide.
Nigeria Now the Global Epicenter of Christian Killings
Open Doors estimates that 3,100 Nigerian Christians have been killed so far this year — out of 4,476 murdered globally. The organization reports widespread attacks from extremist groups such as Boko Haram, which continue to sweep through rural villages, killing men and subjecting women to sexual violence.
Nigerian Catholic priest Father Samuel Maria, who leads a mission near the conflict areas, told the Daily Caller on Monday that Christians are desperate for American intervention.
“We Christians prefer the Americans to come and come quickly,” he said. “The government is downplaying the genocidal reports, whereas kidnappings are going on. The terrorists are everywhere, and living is just scary down here.”
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