Dr. Usman Accuses U.S. Christian Commentator Of Twisting Kaduna Muslim Family’s Kidnap To Solicit Donations For Christians
Prominent social and political critic Dr. Muhammad Al-amin Usman has strongly condemned American digital creator and Christian commentator Ryan Miller for allegedly exploiting a distressing abduction video of a Muslim family in Kaduna to drive online fundraising and push a false religious narrative.
The controversy stems from a viral video featuring Ahmed Abubakar Zakka, his wife, and their six-month-old infant, who were abducted by armed bandits on October 6 from Alrahus Estate in Millennium City, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. While the victims are visibly Muslim and spoke in Hausa while pleading for a N300 million ransom under duress, Miller repackaged the footage for his 4 million followers, framing the tragedy as an example of anti-Christian persecution and redirecting viewers to donate to Global Christian Relief (GCR).
Reacting to the viral post, Dr. Usman blasted Miller for leveraging a family’s trauma to solicit funds and misinform his audience.
“It is already heartbreaking that we have to watch a whole family at gunpoint in their own country, but it is even worse that we have to watch you use the most devastating moment of this family’s life to not only solicit funds for your organization, but to also misinform your audience and misrepresent their religion just to make their pain relevant,” Usman said.
“A child under gunpoint does not need a religious label to earn humanitarian sympathy. A father helplessly watching his wife and child’s lives threatened does not need your tears to make his suffering valid.”
Dr. Usman emphasized that the security crisis plaguing Northern Nigeria targets citizens indiscriminately regardless of faith, noting that the tragedy is not limited to a specific geography or religion.
“We have 78 Borno children from both faiths in captivity for over 150 days today, and their torture and agony is not reduced based on what God they serve. Over 500 people abducted in Niger State and 30 killed. We do not need the religious identity of the dead before we call for justice,” he said.
“We are being killed in our homes by systemic injustice and total failure in governance, not by religion.”
He accused international commentators of turning local anguish into a lucrative job while ignoring the root causes of the crisis.
“So if you want to help us, help us call an end to this injustice, but do not incite hatred among us and do not create division between us. We all know where our enemy lies, and it is not in our faith. It is in people who use our beliefs to play the devil’s advocate for profiting off our pains,” he stated.
Dr. Usman also questioned the fundraising, stating that under U.S. law, funds raised by the organization cannot be used to pay ransom, meaning the abducted family will not benefit.
“This might just be a job for you, but for us, it is a fight for our future. When you know fully well that this very family will not benefit a single dime from what you have raised using their trauma, because under the U.S. law, funds cannot go towards paying ransom. Then why lure your audience into supporting a cause you know you cannot fulfill?”
He called on the Federal Government and the Kaduna State Government to act immediately to rescue the family and all other captives.
“No leader who fails to secure the lives of his people deserves his seat, and no campaign deserves to carry on until every single life is fully secured,” he said.
As of the time of this report, 24 hours after the post was flagged by Northern Nigeria Hub, Ryan Miller has yet to take down the controversial video from his platforms.
