Award-winning rapper Nicki Minaj has publicly endorsed U.S. President Donald Trump’s allegation that Christians are being persecuted in Nigeria, adding her voice to a heated debate over religious violence in the country.
“In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted,” Minaj said on Tuesday at a U.S.-organised event. “Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart… simply because of how they pray.”
Her comments align with Trump’s recent statements. Earlier this month, he warned he would send U.S. troops into Nigeria “guns a-blazing” if the government “continues to allow the killing of Christians”.
Security analysts, however, say jihadist groups and other armed factions wage violence that cuts across religious and ethnic lines, affecting Muslims, Christians and non-believers alike. Organisations tracking political violence note that many victims of jihadist attacks are themselves Muslims.
The latest incidents underline that complexity. This week, two people were killed in an attack on a church in Kwara state, while 25 girls – who the BBC has been told are Muslim – were abducted from a secondary school in north-western Kebbi state. Two of the girls later escaped, and a Muslim teacher and a Muslim security guard were killed in the school raid.
Nigeria’s government has rejected Trump’s characterisation as “a gross misrepresentation of reality”. One official said militants “attack all who reject their murderous ideology – Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike,” insisting Abuja is working to protect religious freedom for all communities.