American musician Nicki Minaj has expressed concern over reports of violence against Christians in Nigeria, adding her support to the recent decision by United States President Donald Trump to classify Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” on religious freedom.
In a post published on X on Saturday, Minaj said she felt “a deep sense of gratitude” for living in a country where people are able to worship freely.
She stated that “no group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion”, and urged the public not to ignore reports of religiously-motivated violence in different parts of the world.
Minaj also wrote, “Thank you to the President and his team for taking this seriously. God bless every persecuted Christian.”
Her remarks followed a series of statements from Mr Trump in which he accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christian communities from extremist attacks.
On Saturday, he announced that he had instructed the US Department of War to prepare for “possible action” in Nigeria and warned that the United States could suspend aid and take direct military steps “unless the Nigerian government intervenes.”
Mr Trump wrote that any US response would be “fast, vicious, and sweet”, and said American forces would target what he described as “Islamic terrorists” responsible for killing Christians. Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War under the Trump administration, confirmed on social media that preparations were under way, stating, “Either the Nigerian government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
The Nigerian government, however, has rejected the characterisation of the situation as a targeted campaign against Christians. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said that describing Nigeria as religiously intolerant “does not reflect our national reality.” He said the country’s security challenges have affected citizens across different faiths and regions.
Speaking in Abuja, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Policy Communication, said that both leaders share an interest in addressing terrorism and that the matter would be discussed directly.
According to Bwala, a meeting between Mr Tinubu and Mr Trump is being arranged and may take place either in Abuja or at the White House in Washington. He noted that Mr Trump had previously approved the sale of arms to Nigeria and that the Tinubu administration had “utilised the opportunity in the fight against terrorism.”
Human rights and conflict-monitoring organisations, including the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (Acled), report that extremist violence in Nigeria has affected both Christians and Muslims. Acled data shows that militant groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have killed thousands of civilians in the north-east over the past decade, with a majority of victims being Muslims. Clashes between farming communities and herders in central Nigeria have also led to many deaths among both Christian and Muslim groups.
The United States’ “Country of Particular Concern” designation allows for sanctions or other penalties against governments found to be violating religious freedom.
