Nicki Minaj supports contested Trump claim Christians being persecuted in Nigeria

November 19, 2025

Rapper Nicki Minaj voiced support for President Trump's claims about Christian persecution in Nigeria during a U.S. embassy event at the United Nations, stating that churches are being burned and families torn apart due to their faith. However, security analysts and the Nigerian government dispute this characterization, explaining that jihadist and armed groups target all communities regardless of religious affiliation, with Muslims actually comprising most victims in northern regions where attacks occur. Recent violence includes a church attack killing two people and a school abduction of 25 Muslim girls, alongside the killing of a Nigerian army brigadier general by Islamic State militants.

Who is affected

Christians in Nigeria (including church worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku where two were killed)
Muslims in Nigeria (including 25 Muslim girls abducted from a school, plus a Muslim teacher and security guard killed in the attack)
Brigadier General Musa Uba (Nigerian army officer killed by Iswap)
Rural communities, churches, schools, and transport routes across Nigeria
Nigeria's 220 million people who are roughly evenly split between Muslims and Christians
All communities regardless of background or belief who face violence from jihadist and armed groups

What action is being taken

Jihadist and armed groups are waging campaigns of violence across Nigeria
President Bola Tinubu is directing security agencies to respond with "urgency, clarity, and decisive action"
Right-wing campaigners and politicians in Washington are alleging systematic targeting of Christians
The Nigerian government is pushing back on claims of Christian-specific persecution

Why it matters

This matters because it represents a significant mischaracterization of a complex security crisis that could influence U.S. foreign policy and military intervention decisions. The framing of violence in Nigeria as specifically anti-Christian persecution, when analysts indicate jihadist groups target all communities and most victims are actually Muslims in northern regions, risks oversimplifying resource-based and inter-ethnic conflicts as purely religious warfare. Trump's threat to send troops "guns a-blazing" based on this incomplete understanding could escalate international tensions and potentially worsen the security situation for all Nigerians affected by the ongoing wave of violent extremism.

What's next

Trump has indicated he would send troops into Nigeria "guns a-blazing" if the government "continues to allow the killing of Christians" (though this is stated as a conditional future action rather than a confirmed next step)
No explicit next steps stated in the article beyond President Tinubu's general directive to security agencies already mentioned in the "What action is being taken" section.

Read full article from source: BBC