Pop star Nicki Minaj shared a public prayer for the release of Christian hostages kidnapped in Nigeria.

In a post on X, the rapper shared a clip of Pope Leo XIV calling on those who kidnapped priests, Catholic school teachers and students to release the hostages. She added her own prayer for their release. 

“Dear God, release your immediate intervention in this matter. Rescue the hostages & may the peace that surpasses all understanding fall upon their families right now,” Minaj wrote.

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Rapper Nicki Minaj put out a public prayer on X this week, asking God to save over 300 Nigerian Christians recently kidnapped from a school in Nigeria. (Derek White/Getty)

She continued, “Lord, we know your power. With faith & thanksgiving in advance, we claim the victory. In the mighty name of JESUS.”

The Associated Press reported that gunmen abducted 303 children and 12 teachers during an attack on St. Mary’s School, a Catholic institution in Nigeria, last week. Initial reports said at least 52 were kidnapped before the number rose to more than 200 children and then reached 303.

No group has claimed responsibility for the mass kidnapping. It is the latest in a series of anti-Christian attacks and abductions that have rocked the African nation and drawn international attention.

At the end of Mass at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Leo addressed the incident. 

“I was deeply saddened to learn of the kidnappings of priests, faithful, and students in Nigeria and Cameroon. I feel great pain, especially for the many young men and women who have been abducted and for their anguished families.”

The pope added, “I make a heartfelt appeal for the immediate release of the hostages and urge the competent authorities to take appropriate and timely decisions to ensure their release.”

Christian persecution in Nigeria previously prompted President Donald Trump to declare the West African nation a “country of particular concern.” The Nigerian government has disputed that U.S. designation.

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Nicki Minaj leaves the podium after speaking during the panel “Combatting Religious Violence and the Killing of Christians in Nigeria” at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York City, on Nov. 18, 2025. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

In a Truth Social post in October, Trump stated, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world!”

Minaj praised the president for calling attention to the issue in an X post. 

“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,” she wrote.

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This photo released by the Christian Association of Nigeria shows the dormitories of St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School after gunmen abducted children and staff in Papiri community in Nigeria, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.  (Christian Association of Nigeria via AP)

Following her post, Minaj was invited by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz to speak at a U.N. conference spotlighting religious violence and the killings of Christians in the African nation.

At the event – hosted by the U.S. in November – Minaj said, “In Nigeria, Christians are being targeted, driven from their homes and killed. Churches have been burned. Families have been torn apart and entire communities live in fear constantly, simply because of how they pray.”

She added, “Sadly, this problem is not only a growing problem in Nigeria, but also in so many other countries across the world, and it demands urgent action. And I want to be clear, protecting Christians in Nigeria is not about taking sides or dividing people. It is about uniting humanity.”

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