Nicki Minaj speaks at UN about Christian persecution in Nigeria

(KTLA) — Rapper Nicki Minaj addressed the United Nations on Tuesday to discuss Christian genocide in Nigeria.

“I must say, I am very nervous…” she told the crowd before starting off her four-minute speech. “It is an honor to stand on this stage with you and the other distinguished speakers here today to shine a spotlight on the deadly threat faced by thousands of Christians in Nigeria.”

The Trinidad and Tobago-born artist spoke at a panel organized by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, which was called Combating Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria. She spoke alongside U.S. Ambassador to the UN Michael Waltz and other faith leaders.

“I would like to thank President Trump for prioritizing this issue and for his leadership on the global stage in calling for urgent action to defend Christians in Nigeria, to combat extremism and to bring a stop to violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to freedom of religion or belief,” she said in her speech.

“I stand here as a proud New Yorker, with a deep sense of gratitude, that we live in a country that we can freely and safely worship God, regardless of one’s creed, background, or politics.”

Since the insurgency of Islamic jihadi group Boko Haram in 2009, an estimated 50,000 Christians have been killed in the African nation, according to a report gathered by Rep. Tim Moore (R-WV), who was tapped by Trump to investigate the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. Open Doors, a nongovernment organization, determined Nigeria the seventh most dangerous nation for Christians to live in.

The rap mogul said she wanted to speak out against injustice and stand up for people who are persecuted for their beliefs.

“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 told attendees.

Her address comes after she posted on X on Nov.1, commending President Trump’s TruthSocial post. She wrote:

“No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion. We don’t have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other.

Numerous countries all around the world are being affected by this horror & it’s dangerous to pretend we don’t notice.

Thank you to the President & his team for taking this seriously. God bless every persecuted Christian,” she wrote. “Let’s remember to lift them up in prayer.”

Advocates for protecting Christians in Nigeria say Boko Haram and other Islamist terrorist groups are just one aspect of the significant threats facing Christians in the country.

Conservative groups and Christian organizations sent a letter to the Trump administration on Oct. 15 calling for Nigeria to be designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), and met with administration officials on Oct. 29, pushing for Nigeria’s designation as a CPC to motivate the Nigerian government to take firm action.

The Nigerian government’s enforcement of Islamic blasphemy laws, which carry the death penalty and harsh prison sentences, affect citizens of various religions, advocates raised in their Oct. 15 letter.

“Militant Fulani Muslim herders” attack Christians with impunity, the letter states. “It [Abuja] fails to investigate the Fulanis’ organizational structures and identify who is arming them,” it adds.

“The authorities don’t enforce the country’s gun bans against the Fulani. They don’t act to reclaim the stolen farms for their Christian owners, who are instead consigned to destitution in internally displaced camps that receive little, if any, government assistance. They rarely arrest and never convict Fulanis who attack Christians. Even when warned of impending Fulani attacks, government security forces are typically unresponsive or ineffective.”

The International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998 requires the “President to annually review the status of religious freedom in every country in the world and designate each country the government of which has engaged in or tolerated ‘particularly severe violations of religious freedom.’”

President Trump named Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) in his Truth Social post on October 31, 2025. He then followed up on November 1:

“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”

On Nov. 3, the U.S. State Department officially declared Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). This designation was made under the International Religious Freedom Act and listed Nigeria as a country that the U.S. considers to have engaged in or tolerated violations of religious freedom.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is a Muslim, on Saturday reacted to Trump’s threats by saying the country is “governed by constitutional guarantees of religious liberty.”

“Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it,” he said in a statement.

“Our administration is committed to working with the United States government and the international community to deepen understanding and cooperation on protection of communities of all faiths.”

Compiled from articles at KTLA5 Nexstar Media Group.