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When did Nicki Minaj talk about Christian persecution?
Today, 19th November 2025, Award-winning rapper Nicki Minaj has publicly endorsed President Donald Trump’s controversial claim that Christians are being systematically persecuted in Nigeria.
Speaking at a United States mission to the UN event in New York on Tuesday, the Trinidad-born star said: “In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted. Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart… simply because of how they pray.”
She thanked Trump for “prioritising this issue and for his leadership”, adding that defending Christians in Nigeria was “not about taking sides or dividing people… but about uniting humanity”.
Minaj, 42, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, has previously spoken openly about her Christian faith.
What did Nicki Minaj say about Nigeria?
Minaj told the New York event that calling for the protection of Christians in Nigeria was “about standing up in the face of injustice”. She described Nigeria as “a beautiful nation with deep faith traditions” and greeted her Nigerian fans, the “beautiful Barbz”.
Are Christians being targeted for their faith in Nigeria?
While violence against Christian communities does occur, analysts and monitoring groups stress that armed groups target people of all faiths — and in many cases most victims are Muslim.
The Nigerian government has strongly rejected claims of targeted anti-Christian persecution, calling them “a gross misrepresentation of reality”. Terrorists “attack all who reject their murderous ideology — Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike”, an official said.
What attacks happened this week in Nigeria?
- Gunmen attacked the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara state, on Tuesday evening, killing two worshippers and abducting several others.
- In north-western Kebbi state, more than 25 schoolgirls — understood to be Muslim — were kidnapped. A teacher and a security guard, both Muslim, were killed. Two girls later escaped.
Who are the main victims of jihadist violence in Nigeria?
Data from organisations tracking political violence show that the majority of victims of jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) are Muslim. Many conflicts are also driven by competition over land, water and ethnic tensions rather than religion alone.
How has Nigeria’s government responded to the latest violence?
President Bola Tinubu said he was “depressed” by the surge in attacks, postponed a trip to the G20 summit in South Africa, and ordered security forces to respond with “urgency, clarity, and decisive action”.
On Tuesday he also confirmed that ISWAP had killed a senior army officer, Brigadier General Musa Uba, in Borno state.
Why is this issue being raised in the United States?
For months, some right-wing US politicians and campaigners have highlighted alleged anti-Christian persecution in Nigeria. President Trump recently repeated claims that he would send US troops “guns a-blazing” if the killings continued.
The US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, thanked Nicki Minaj for using “her massive platform to spotlight the atrocities against Christians in Nigeria”.
This marks the rapper’s highest-profile political intervention to date.
Additional reporting by Chris Ewokor in Abuja
