American rapper Nicki Minaj has hailed President Donald Trump for designating Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’.

The ‘Pink Friday’ rapper on Saturday, to shed light on what she described as the ongoing persecution of Christians in Nigeria, reposted Trump’s tweet and shared a heartfelt message.

“Reading this made me feel a deep sense of gratitude. We live in a country where we can freely worship God,” she stated. “No group should ever be persecuted for practising their religion. We don’t have to share the same beliefs in order to respect each other.”

The rapper added, “Numerous countries all around the world are being affected by this horror, and it’s dangerous to pretend we don’t notice. Thank you to the President and his team for taking this seriously. God bless every persecuted Christian. Let’s remember to lift them up in prayer.”

The tweet comes hours after Mr Trump commented on the recent “slaughter” of Christians in Nigeria, describing the situation as an “existential threat” in the country. He cited statistics indicating that 3,100 Christians had lost their lives, but failed to provide a source or a timeline for this figure.

“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and many other countries,” Mr Trump explained. “We stand ready, willing, and able to protect our great Christian population around the world!”