Bill Maher, an American comedian, political commentator and host of HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, used his program Friday to highlight what he described as a Christian genocide unfolding in Nigeria — and the alarming lack of coverage in mainstream media.
Maher, known for his biting critiques of religion and politics, surprised many viewers with his blunt acknowledgment of the crisis.
“Nigeria, the fact that this issue has not gotten on people’s radar, it’s pretty amazing,” Maher said during a panel discussion. “If you don’t know what’s going on in Nigeria, your media sources suck. You are in a bubble.”
Maher continued, “I’m not a Christian, but they are systematically killing the Christians in Nigeria. They’ve killed over 100,000 since 2009. They’ve burned 18,000 churches. These are the Islamists, Boko Haram. This is so much more of a genocide attempt than what is going on in Gaza. They are literally attempting to wipe out the Christian population of an entire country.”
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who joined the panel and is running for governor of South Carolina, thanked Maher for raising the issue, echoing his frustration with the lack of coverage.
“Where are the kids protesting this?” Maher added, criticizing the silence on college campuses and in activist circles in the United States.
Nigeria has consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for Christians, according to Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List. The report found that of the 4,476 Christians killed worldwide for their faith during the reporting period, 3,100 — or 69 percent — were in Nigeria.
“The measure of anti-Christian violence in the country is already at the maximum possible under World Watch List methodology,” the report stated.
Islamic extremist groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), remain active in Nigeria’s northern states, where government authority is weak. Fulani militias have also targeted Christian farming communities in the country’s northcentral zone, killing hundreds and driving thousands from their homes, according to the report.
Christians face raids, abductions, sexual violence and killings at roadblocks set up by jihadist groups. Abductions for ransom have surged in recent years, leaving families financially and emotionally devastated.
The violence has increasingly spread south, with the emergence of a new jihadist faction, Lakurawa, in the northwest. The group is armed with advanced weaponry and aligned with al-Qaeda’s expansionist insurgency Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), which originated in Mali.
Nigeria is currently ranked No. 7 on the World Watch List of the 50 most dangerous countries for Christians.
For Christians, the suffering in Nigeria represents one of the most underreported humanitarian crises in the world. While American media outlets devote extensive coverage to conflicts elsewhere, Maher’s remarks explicitly pointed out the lack of attention given to the systematic targeting of believers in Africa’s most populous nation.
His words carried weight precisely because Maher is not a Christian — yet even he acknowledged that the scale of violence fits the definition of genocide. For the church in the United States and around the world, the call is clear: pray for Nigeria, speak up for the persecuted, and demand that policymakers and media outlets break their silence.
