By Ayomide Otitoju
American rap star Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, popularly known as Nicki Minaj, has joined growing international voices urging an end to violence by insurgents and bandits in northern Nigeria.
Minaj made the call during a keynote address at a United States Mission to the United Nations conference on “Combating Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria.” She stressed that no group should face persecution on the basis of faith.
Clarifying her stance amid rising global concern over Nigeria’s worsening security situation, the Grammy-winning artist said her message was one of unity, not division.
“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 former U.S. President Donald Trump for “prioritizing the issue” and advocating strongly for the protection of Christians in Nigeria, calling for urgent global action against extremism and religiously motivated violence.
Trump, in recent weeks, has repeatedly condemned what he described as mass killings of Christians in Nigeria. He designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” and warned that the United States could withdraw aid—or even take military action—if the attacks continue.
“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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that he had instructed the U.S. “Department of War” to prepare for possible action.
The Nigerian government has firmly rejected the allegations, insisting that it protects citizens of all faiths.
“Nigeria is a God-fearing country where we respect faith, tolerance, diversity, and inclusion, in concurrence with the rules-based international order,” said Kimiebi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He added that Nigeria, like the United States, “has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength.”
