Nicki Minaj backs Trump’s contested claim of Christian Persecution in Nigeria

Award-winning rapper Nicki Minaj has publicly supported former President Donald Trump’s controversial allegations that Christians are being systematically targeted and persecuted in Nigeria.

Speaking at a US-organised event on Tuesday, Minaj highlighted the violence. “In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted,” she stated.

“Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart… simply because of how they pray.”

However, analysts and the Nigerian government argue that the violence from jihadists and other armed groups is not limited to one faith, affecting all communities in the West African nation.

Recent events illustrate the complexity of the situation. This week, two people were killed in an attack on a church.

In a separate incident, 25 schoolgirls were abducted from a school in the northwestern Kebbi state. A teacher and a security guard, both Muslim, were also killed during that attack. Two of the girls later escaped.

Earlier this month, Trump threatened to send troops into Nigeria “guns a-blazing” if its government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.”

At the event hosted by the US embassy to the UN in New York, Minaj, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, framed her stance as a humanitarian issue.

“This is not about taking sides or dividing people… but about uniting humanity,” she said. “This is about standing up in the face of injustice. It’s about what I’ve always stood for.”

The 42-year-old rapper, who has spoken about her Christian faith, also thanked Trump for “prioritising this issue and for his leadership.”

The Nigerian government has strongly refuted these claims, calling them “a gross misrepresentation of reality.” An official stated that “terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology—Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike.” This view is supported by groups monitoring the conflict, who report that most victims of jihadist violence are Muslims.

Nigeria’s population of 220 million is almost evenly divided between Christians and Muslims, with Muslims forming the majority in the north, where most of the attacks occur.

On Wednesday, police in the southwestern Kwara state confirmed a deadly attack on the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku. Gunmen opened fire on worshippers during an evening service, killing two and abducting several others. Local media reported that bandits stormed the church, shooting the pastor and rounding up the congregation.

In a separate development, President Bola Tinubu confirmed on Tuesday that a senior army officer, Brigadier General Musa Uba, had been killed by jihadist forces after being captured in an ambush in the northeastern state of Borno. The Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) had claimed responsibility for the killing on Monday.

During her speech, Minaj called Nigeria “a beautiful nation with deep faith traditions” and gave a shout-out to her Nigerian fans, known as “Barbz.”

Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, praised the rapper for “leveraging her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria.”

For months, right-wing politicians and activists in Washington have alleged that Christians are being systematically targeted in Nigeria. However, the BBC has noted that much of the data used to support this conclusion is difficult to verify. Analysts also point out that many deadly conflicts in the region are driven by disputes over resources like land and water, or by ethnic tensions, rather than religion.

This appearance marks Minaj’s most significant political intervention to date. The rapper, who moved from Trinidad to New York as a child, revealed last year that she is not a US citizen. She previously made headlines during the COVID-19 pandemic for sharing unsubstantiated claims about vaccine side effects, which drew criticism from medical experts and politicians, including then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.