US celebrities and advocates want attention kept on persecuted Christians in Nigeria

Humanitarian groups and celebrities who have condemned attacks on Christians in Nigeria are now worried whether Washington's attention and support may shift after the US midterm elections. The concern comes amid reports of renewed violence in the country's Middle Belt.

Stephen Osemwegie, president and founder of Save Nigeria Group USA, told Fox News Digital, 'Things have gotten worse. People are still getting killed, but it's not making the news because the US is a bit distracted.' He said millions of people remain displaced, churches continue to be vandalized and destroyed and parishioners are being killed, while the war in Iran and the midterm elections have dominated US headlines.

According to the report, religious and communal strife in Nigeria has existed for decades, but the violent conflict involving Islamist insurgencies began around 2009. The United Nations and the conflict monitor ACLED report that violence across Nigeria has since claimed upwards of 53,000 lives across communities. Groups such as Intersociety and Open Doors report that over 50,000 to 62,000 Christians have been killed since 2009.

Violence from radical Islamist groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), as well as Fulani ethnic militias, has intensified since the 2010s, the report said. Attacks have increasingly extended into the Middle Belt, targeting farming and Christian communities, while the broader national conflict has also affected communities across religious lines, including Muslims.

Monitors such as Open Doors International report that thousands of Christians have been displaced and forced into camps inside the country. Sahara Reporters cited an October report by Aid to the Church in Need that said more than 3.5 million people had been displaced in Nigeria.

Beyond humanitarian organizations, celebrities such as rapper Nicki Minaj and actress Patricia Heaton have repeatedly addressed the crisis publicly. In October, during an X Takeover event at Tesla's Giga Texas facility, Minaj spoke about her personal connection to Nigeria and urged fellow celebrities, influencers and Christians to raise awareness.

In November 2025, Minaj joined US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz at an event titled 'Combatting Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria.' There she thanked President Donald Trump for prioritizing the issue and said, 'No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion.' She said Christians in Nigeria are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed, and churches have been burned.

Heaton has shared social media posts about reported massacres, beheadings and mass burials and has criticized insufficient media coverage. In May she wrote 'Pray for our brothers and sisters' while re-posting a video by Jeremy Wayne Tate noting that more than 70% of all Christians killed for their faith last year were Nigerian.

On Thursday the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Africa Subcommittee held a hearing titled 'One Year Later: Assessing Nigeria's Efforts to Protect Christians and Secure the Middle Belt', chaired by Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey. The title references the subcommittee's 20 November 2025 hearing on religious persecution in Nigeria.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies covered the hearing and said the focus on Christian persecution was important, but also noted the large loss of Muslim life; the United Nations has reported more Muslims have been killed overall in the country. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom's 2026 Annual Report described religious freedom conditions in Nigeria during 2025 as 'abysmal'.

Osemwegie credited the Trump administration for highlighting the situation and designating Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, particularly through cooperation on drone surveillance and intelligence sharing. But he remains concerned about potential changes in congressional pressure and calls for accountability. 'We're hoping we can get attention to sustain some of the gains that have been recently made,' he said. 'We don't want a relapse.'