American rap superstar Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, better known as Nicki Minaj, has joined the rising international outcry against the violence unleashed by insurgents and bandits across northern Nigeria.
Speaking as a keynote speaker at a United States Mission to the United Nations conference on “Combating Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria,” the Grammy-winning artist insisted that no individual or group should ever face persecution because of their faith.
Amid renewed global calls for swift action on Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, Minaj stressed that 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 “President Trump for prioritizing this issue and 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.”
A few weeks earlier, former U.S. President Donald Trump had raised alarm over what he termed the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria, urging Nigerian authorities to take decisive action.
He subsequently designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) and warned that military action could follow if the killings persisted.
