United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, has issued a strong warning about the worsening security and human-rights situation in Nigeria, stating that girls kidnapped by extremist groups are being sold into forced sexual exploitation if they refuse to convert to the ideology imposed by their captors.
Waltz made the remarks during an appearance on One Nation with Brian Kilmeade, where he discussed global concerns surrounding religious persecution and the escalating violence targeting Christian communities in parts of Nigeria.
The ambassador also shed light on the widely discussed decision to invite American rap star Nicki Minaj to the United Nations for a panel on religious freedom. According to him, Minaj openly reacted to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s post condemning attacks on Christians in Nigeria, which prompted UN officials to involve her in the conversation.
“She responded to that online, and then we invited her to the United Nations to see a panel of experts on religious freedom,” Waltz said.
During the panel, a Nigerian pastor phoned in to share first-hand accounts of religious sites being burned, communities being displaced and religious leaders targeted simply because they wore symbols of their faith. His contribution, Waltz said, highlighted the urgency of the crisis and the scale of underreported attacks.
Waltz, a former Green Beret with years of experience in conflict zones, said the situation in Nigeria is being driven by Boko Haram and what he described as “22 other Muslim extremist terrorist groups” operating across the country and the broader West African region.
He criticized sections of the international media for suggesting that Minaj had exaggerated Nigeria’s security challenges, insisting that global organizations, human-rights monitors and independent researchers have documented the patterns of violence for over a decade.
“We have had multiple instances of girls getting kidnapped and sold into sex slavery if they do not convert,” he said. “We know it is happening, and shame on anyone who denies it.”
When host Brian Kilmeade referenced the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014, Waltz recalled being deployed in Nigeria during that period.
“We trained their Navy Special Forces on how to go after these girls,” he said, describing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s search-and-rescue operations. “This has been going on for 10 years. But enough is enough; the atrocities are only getting worse.”
He noted that although the Chibok kidnapping drew global attention, many similar incidents since then have received far less international coverage, allowing the problem to continue with limited global pressure.
Waltz also praised former President Donald Trump’s approach to international religious freedom. According to him, Trump was “the first U.S. president to ever host a dedicated panel” on the issue at the United Nations, signaling a historic shift in how global religious-rights violations were addressed.
He argued that such high-level engagement is necessary because extremist violence in Nigeria now has regional implications, affecting neighboring countries and contributing to one of the world’s fastest-growing displacement crises.
Human-rights groups, faith-based organizations and activists have increasingly urged the international community to push for stronger protections for vulnerable communities in Nigeria. Waltz’s comments have amplified those calls, with many arguing that global attention is needed to help prevent further kidnappings, attacks and displacement.
As debate continues, the UN is expected to host additional discussions centered on religious freedom, extremist violence and the urgent need for coordinated international action.
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