"In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted," Minaj said on Tuesday at an event organised by the US, adding: "Churches have been burned, families have been torn apart... simply because of how they pray." Analysts say that jihadists and other armed groups have waged campaigns of violence that affect all communities in the West African nation, regardless of background or belief. This week alone, two people were killed in an attack on a church in Kwara, while a group of 25 girls, who the BBC has been told are Muslim, were abducted from a school.

Two of the girls later managed to escape from their abductors. A teacher and a security guard - both Muslim - were also killed in the attack on the secondary school in the north-western Kebbi state. Earlier this month, Trump said he would send troops into Nigeria "guns a-blazing" if its government "continues to allow the killing of Christians". Minaj, whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, told an event organised by the US embassy to the UN in New York that calling for the protection of Christians in Nigeria was "not about taking sides or dividing people... but about uniting humanity". "This is about standing up in the face of injustice. It's about what I've always stood for," she added.

The 42-year-old Trinidad-born rapper, who grew up in the US, has previously spoken of her Christian faith. She thanked Trump for "prioritising this issue and for his leadership". The Nigerian government has pushed back on these claims, describing them as "a gross misrepresentation of reality". An official said that "terrorists attack all who reject their murderous ideology - Muslims, Christians and those of no faith alike". (BBC)