Award-winning rapper Nicki Minaj has publicly supported U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial claim that Christians in Nigeria are facing persecution, reigniting debate around the country’s ongoing security challenges.
Speaking at an event hosted by the U.S. Embassy to the UN on Tuesday, Minaj said:
“In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted. Churches have been burned, families torn apart… simply because of how they pray.”
She added that acknowledging these attacks was “not about taking sides, but about uniting humanity and standing against injustice.”
Violence in Nigeria: A Complex Reality
While Minaj endorsed Trump’s assertion of targeted attacks on Christians, analysts and conflict researchers paint a more nuanced picture. They report that jihadist groups and armed militias in Nigeria routinely target all communities, Christians, Muslims, and people of no faith, based on ideology, territorial control, and access to scarce resources.
This week alone highlights this complexity:
- Two worshippers were killed during an attack on a church in Kwara State.
- Twenty-five schoolgirls, believed to be Muslim, were abducted from a school in Kebbi State.
- A teacher and a security guard, both Muslim,were killed during the school attack.
- In Borno, Brigadier General Musa Uba was murdered by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants after being ambushed.
The Nigerian government strongly rejected Trump’s suggestion of systematic Christian persecution, calling it “a gross misrepresentation of reality.” Officials emphasised that terrorists attack anyone who opposes their extremist ideology.
Monitoring groups also say most victims of jihadist violence in northern Nigeria are Muslim, largely because they form the majority population in the region.
Political Pressure and U.S. Debate
Trump triggered controversy earlier this month when he said he would send U.S. troops to Nigeria “guns a-blazing” if the government failed to protect Christians. For months, right-wing groups in Washington have been amplifying claims that Nigeria’s Christians are being systematically targeted.
However, the BBC’s own investigations show that some of the data used in these narratives is unverified or misleading. Experts note that many incidents stem from land disputes, cattle grazing conflicts, and ethnic tensions, not solely religion.
Minaj’s Most Significant Political Appearance Yet
Minaj, who has spoken openly about her Christian upbringing, thanked Trump for “prioritising” the issue. She also greeted her Nigerian fans, calling Nigeria a “beautiful nation with deep faith traditions.”
Her appearance at the UN marks her most prominent political intervention to date.
Previously, she sparked global controversy during the Covid-19 pandemic by claiming a friend of her cousin suffered bizarre vaccine side-effects, claims health authorities dismissed as misinformation.
Nigerian Government Responds to Rising Violence
As attacks escalate across states, President Bola Tinubu expressed deep concern over the “recent uptick in violent extremism,” instructing security agencies to respond with “urgency and decisive action.” He also postponed a planned trip to the G20 summit in South Africa to address the crisis.
A Nation Gripped by Insecurity
Nigeria, home to roughly 220 million people almost evenly divided between Christianity and Islam, continues to grapple with jihadist insurgencies, banditry, kidnappings, and communal conflicts.
As global figures like Nicki Minaj draw attention to the issue, analysts warn that oversimplifying Nigeria’s security crisis risks masking the deeper political, economic, and ethnic factors driving the violence.