“This Is My Family In Christ” — US Creator Weeps Over Muslim Family’s Ransom Video In Kaduna, Solicits Funds For Christian Charity
Popular American digital creator and Christian commentator Ryan Miller has sparked intense backlash across social media after using viral distress video footage of a Muslim family abducted in Kaduna State to solicit online financial donations under the guise of supporting “persecuted Christians.”
The video — which Miller posted to his audience of over 4 million followers — features embedded footage of Ahmed Abubakar Zakka, his wife, and their six-month-old daughter, who were violently kidnapped on October 6, 2026, by armed bandits from Alrahus Estate in Millennium City, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
In the video, Miller is heard narrating over the ransom clip, saying: “I watched this video, and I had the thought like, what if this was my family? And then I looked over and I saw my little boy playing on the rug, who is about one year old. And then the thought hit me like, this is my family.”
He further stated, “According to the Bible, that’s my brother and that’s my sister in Christ. That’s my little boy in Christ. I refuse to punt on the greatest genocide of Christians in our lifetime, when it costs $5 to take care of that family on the run.”
In the original clip, Zakka speaks in Hausa while held at gunpoint, pleading with the public and Muslim community for help to raise a ₦300 million ransom demanded by their abductors.
Despite the clear Islamic identity and Hausa context of the victims, Miller presented the abducted family as “my brother and sister in Christ” and “my little boy in Christ,” framing their plight as part of “the greatest genocide of Christians in our lifetime.”
Attached to the viral post was a direct fundraising link directing donors to Global Christian Relief (GCR), prompting followers to set up recurring monthly donations.
The post quickly drew condemnation from Nigerian social media users and commentators, who accused Miller of exploiting multi-faith security crises in Nigeria for financial gain and pushing a single-religion persecution narrative.
Among the top comments on his verified Facebook page, user Abraham Thomas wrote: “Ryan Miller, these people are Muslim, not Christian.”
Another commenter, إسميتي إسميتي, posted: “Ryan Miller, these are Muslim family, not Christian. Stop spreading and promoting religious war in Nigeria. Talk about your country’s problems… stop the propaganda.”
Others raised transparency concerns regarding how the collected international donations are deployed, questioning the direct impact on victims on the ground in Nigeria.
The video clip hijacked by Miller forms part of an ongoing security tragedy in Kaduna State.
The victims, Ahmed Abubakar Zakka, his wife, and their infant daughter were dragged from their home late at night during a systematic raid on Alrahus Estate. Their captors released a 40-second video of the traumatized family surrounded by armed men, demanding ₦300 million for their release.
Ryan Miller, who frequently produces content spotlighting insecurity in Jos and parts of the North Central Nigeria for Global Christian Relief, has previously faced criticism for categorizing complex, multi-dimensional security challenges — including banditry, farmer-herder clashes, and criminal terrorism — solely as anti-Christian persecution.
While security analysts acknowledge that Christian communities in Nigeria suffer heavy losses from terrorist groups and armed bandits, experts stress that bandit groups across Northern Nigeria also target Muslim families, rural villages, and mosques with equal violence.
