Despite condemnation from humanitarian organizations and public figures, violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt has continued. Advocates say they are also worried that political changes in the United States could weaken efforts to promote religious freedom and accountability.
Stephen Osemwegie, founder and president of Save Nigeria Group USA, said the situation had worsened. People are still being killed, he said, but the crisis is receiving less attention in the United States as other issues dominate the news.
Osemwegie said millions remain displaced, churches have been vandalized or destroyed, and worshippers continue to be killed. He pointed to the war in Iran and recent U.S. midterm elections as events drawing attention away from Nigeria.
Religious and communal tensions in Nigeria have a long history, while the current wave of violence involving Islamist insurgencies dates back to around 2009. The United Nations and the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project have reported more than 53,000 deaths across communities in the country. Advocacy groups, including Intersociety and Open Doors, estimate that between 50,000 and 62,000 Christians have been killed since 2009.
Church leaders and humanitarian groups have spoken out, as have public figures including rapper Nicki Minaj and actress Patricia Heaton. At an October event at Tesla’s Giga Texas facility, Minaj discussed her personal connection to Nigeria and urged celebrities, influencers and Christians to draw attention to the violence.
In November 2025, Minaj appeared with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz at an event on religious violence and the killing of Christians in Nigeria. She thanked President Donald Trump for prioritizing the issue and addressing extremism, and spoke in support of the right to freedom of religion or belief.
Minaj said that people in the United States should be able to worship safely regardless of their faith, background or politics. In Nigeria, she said, Christians have been targeted and forced from their homes; churches have been burned, families separated and communities left fearful because of their religious practices.
Heaton has also shared posts and commentary about reported massacres, beheadings and mass burials, while criticizing what she considers inadequate media coverage and international attention. In May, she urged people to pray for Christians in Nigeria while reposting a video by Jeremy Wayne Tate. The video said that Nigerians made up more than 70% of Christians killed for their faith the previous year.
Attacks by Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province and Fulani ethnic militias have intensified since the 2010s. Violence has spread into the Middle Belt, where farming and Christian communities have been targeted. The wider conflict has affected people across religious lines, including Muslims and others.
Open Doors International and other organizations report that thousands of Christians have been displaced and forced into camps inside Nigeria. Sahara Reporters, citing an October report from Aid to the Church in Need, said more than 3.5 million people had been displaced in the country.
A recent report by the investigative journalism project Truth Nigeria raised questions about whether Nigerian Christian leaders may need to rethink their approach in Washington after the U.S. midterm elections. It noted concerns that Republican lawmakers who supported restoring Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern and pushing for stronger accountability measures may have less political influence, leaving local leaders to confront the crisis with fewer allies.
Osemwegie credited the Trump administration with drawing attention to the situation and designating Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern. He also pointed to cooperation between the two countries on drone surveillance and intelligence sharing. Still, he is concerned that congressional pressure and religious-freedom advocacy could change, along with calls to hold people accountable.
He said he hopes U.S. assistance will continue, citing the country’s experience in addressing international terrorism. Osemwegie said advocates want to preserve recent progress and avoid a return to earlier conditions.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Africa Subcommittee held a hearing on Thursday titled “One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria’s Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt.” Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, chaired the hearing, which followed a November 20, 2025, session on religious persecution in Nigeria.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies said the focus on persecution of Christians was important, while noting the heavy toll on Muslims as well. The United Nations has reported that more Muslims than Christians have been killed overall in Nigeria.
CSIS cited the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2026 annual report, which described religious-freedom conditions in 2025 as “abysmal.” The report documented attacks on Christians and failures by authorities to respond, investigate or pursue justice. It also described attacks on Muslims and practitioners of traditional religions, including Muslims killed by insurgents in Sokoto and Borno states.
