Foreign influencers and content creators on Instagram are exploiting Nigeria’s Christian genocide narrative to promote religious agendas, attract engagement and solicit donations, an investigation by HumAngle has found.
The investigation examined dozens of social media posts and videos published between June and October 2026, identifying accounts that used images and footage of violence in Nigeria to portray the country’s insecurity as a campaign specifically targeting Christians.
Some of the content contained misleading claims, used footage from unrelated incidents or presented victims’ religious identities and the motives behind their abductions without sufficient evidence.
One of the influencers identified is Ryan Miller, who has more than 1.8 million followers on Instagram. He regularly publishes videos depicting violence by Nigerian security forces and armed groups as part of what he describes as a genocide against Christians.
In at least five posts examined, Miller used footage of violent incidents that attracted more than 100,000 combined comments and shares. He encouraged viewers to comment “rescue” or visit a link in his profile.
One video, posted on June 12, described footage as showing “terrorists assembling to massacre Christians”. A reverse image search traced the clip to a March 23, 2026, video published by HMC Somali TV, showing troops preparing to take over Baidoa, Somalia. Baidoa Online also corroborated the footage’s origin, while Dubawa separately fact-checked the claim.
Miller’s Instagram profile directs users to a Linktree page that includes a donation link for the Global Christian Relief Fund, which lists him as a partner. Users who comment “rescue” on his posts also receive an automated message directing them to donation links.
The investigation also examined Miller’s portrayal of people abducted in Nigeria, including victims of school attacks.
In one case, he presented the abduction of Michael Oyedokun, a teacher kidnapped from Community High School in Ahoro-Esinle, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, as part of a religious campaign against Christians.
However, accounts from survivors indicated that the attack was driven by financial motives rather than religious persecution. Rachael Alamu, the school’s principal who was also abducted, said the captives were not forced to practise Islam.
Miller also shared images purportedly showing abducted children being tortured. One image appeared to have been generated using artificial intelligence, with detection tools indicating a high likelihood of AI creation. Another was traced to a June 2020 report by Gambiza TV in Niger Republic.
In another video, Miller portrayed Ahmed Abubakar Zakka, his wife and their toddler as a Christian family abducted because of their faith. The Muslim family was kidnapped in Millennium City, Kaduna, on October 6 and released on October 15. The video was later deleted following backlash.
Other influencers examined include David Latting, who has more than 500,000 followers and has claimed that 72 per cent of Christian martyrs worldwide are killed in Nigeria, citing an Open Doors 2026 report.
The investigation found that the figures and the circumstances surrounding some of the incidents used to support such claims were not clearly established. In several cases, violence was linked to land disputes, ransom-seeking or other factors rather than religious identity alone.
Luka Miri, a district head, said an attack in the Zike and Kimakpa area was connected to a land dispute. He also noted that Muslims in the area lived peacefully with their neighbours.
Latting also misrepresented footage of a kidnapping-for-ransom incident in Kogi State and the abduction of John Arum, who said he had been lured to a kidnappers’ hideout with an offer of work fixing a musical instrument.
Arum said his abductors asked about his religion. He recalled that they called him “pastor” after he shouted “Jesus” while being beaten.
Another influencer, Danny Alexander, described the Angwan Rukuba attack in Jos as an assault on Christians by Islamic extremists. No group had claimed responsibility for the attack, and the motive remained unknown.
Nantip Joseph of the Plateau State Peace Building Agency warned that some actors were exploiting ethnic and religious divisions for their own interests.
The investigation’s findings come amid wider insecurity across Nigeria, where attacks, abductions and killings affect communities across religious and ethnic lines.
Data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project recorded 23,931 violent events and 48,820 fatalities in Nigeria between 2020 and 2024, with the highest number of deaths recorded in the North-East and North-West.
ACLED’s 2022 factsheet said incidents in which civilians were specifically targeted because of their Christian identity accounted for five per cent of civilian-targeting incidents. The data also pointed to a broader pattern of violence against civilians.
InterSociety estimated that 7,500 Christians were killed in Nigeria in 2025. However, the organisation did not provide a list of the attacks or evidence establishing the religious identity of victims in every case.
Researchers and peacebuilding advocates have warned that misleading claims about the motives behind violence can deepen religious and ethnic divisions and potentially contribute to reprisal attacks.
Rejoice Taddy and Mayowa Tijani, researchers who examined the issue, raised concerns about the limitations of social media platforms’ efforts to address misinformation, including the use of Community Notes.
Meta ended its third-party fact-checking programme in early 2025 and shifted towards a crowd-sourced Community Notes system. Critics have questioned whether such notes can respond quickly enough to viral misinformation and account for cultural and local context.
They have called for a combination of human oversight and artificial intelligence, alongside media literacy and public awareness campaigns, to help users identify misleading content.
