American rap icon Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, popularly known as Nicki Minaj, has added her voice to the growing international outcry over escalating violence by insurgents and bandits in northern Nigeria.
Delivering a keynote address at a United States Mission to the United Nations conference titled “Combating Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria,” the Grammy-winning artist condemned persecution on the basis of faith and urged global action to protect vulnerable communities.
Minaj stressed that her intervention was not in support of any political faction but a call for humanity and justice. “I want to make it very clear, once again, that this isn’t about taking sides. This is about standing up in the face of injustice. It’s about what I’ve always stood for,” she said.
She also thanked President Donald Trump for what she described as prioritising the issue and pushing for action to defend Christians in Nigeria. “I thank President Trump for his leadership on the global stage in calling for urgent action to defend Christians in Nigeria, to combat extremism, and to stop violence against those who simply want to exercise their natural right to freedom of religion or belief,” she added.
Trump, in recent weeks, has repeatedly alleged large-scale killings of Christians in Nigeria, designating the country as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and warning of possible consequences. He later threatened potential military action if the Nigerian government failed to curb the violence.
“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now-disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet.”
Nigeria denies claims of religious persecution
Nigerian authorities have firmly rejected the allegations of targeted religious violence.
In a statement, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said Nigeria remains committed to protecting freedom of worship.
“Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength. Nigeria is a God-fearing country where we respect faith, tolerance, diversity, and inclusion, in concurrence with the rules-based international order,” he said.
