Nicki Minaj's Manchester gig CANCELLED after Amsterdam arrest as fans left waiting for hours inside Co-op Live

Nicki Minaj was due to play at the Co-op Live in Manchester

Nicki Minaj's gig in Manchester tonight has been CANCELLED at the last-minute.

The singer was arrested in Amsterdam on Saturday afternoon for alleged possession of 'soft drugs' after police searched her luggage, as she was set to fly to Manchester.

The National Police Corps said the woman, 41, was arrested after allegedly trying to take soft drugs from Schiphol Airport to another country. Dutch media have reported she has since been released, however not in time for tonight's performance in Manchester.

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Thousands of fans were left waiting in the Co-op Live arena for two hours after the doors were opened to the gig just after 7pm. However, at around 9.30pm, the venue confirmed the singer would not be performing in the city this evening.

In a statement, Live Nation said: "Nicki Minaj’s scheduled performance at Manchester’s Co-op Live on Saturday 25th May has been postponed. Tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled performance which will be announced ASAP.

"Despite Nicki’s best efforts to explore every possible avenue to make tonight’s show happen, the events of today have made it impossible. We are deeply disappointed by the inconvenience this has caused. More information will be available at your point of purchase."

It came after Minaj put a series of social media posts on X saying 'they're trying to keep me from MANCHESTER'. In a string of posts on her profile, she said that her luggage has been taken at the airport while travelling from Amsterdam to attend the gig.

During a video she then posted onto her Instagram and X profiles, the American rapper and singer can be seen talking to an Amsterdam officer who accuses her of "carrying drugs". He can then be seen urging her to go into what appears to be a police van while he tells her she will be going to a "police station".

She then posted at 4pm that she had to attend a police station to give a 'statement'. She had not posted since, and was originally due on stage in Manchester at 8pm.