30,000 armed Fulani militants behind deadliest violence in Nigeria, says US report
A new report released by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has raised fresh concerns over worsening insecurity and religious freedom violations in Nigeria
A new report released by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has raised fresh concerns over worsening insecurity and religious freedom violations in Nigeria
It revealed that an estimated 30,000 armed Fulani militants are currently operating across the country in groups ranging from 10 to 1,000 members.
The report, published in May 2026 and titled “Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants,” described the armed groups as some of the deadliest non-state actors fueling violence across Nigeria’s Middle Belt and southern regions.
According to the commission, attacks carried out by armed actors of Fulani ethnic background intensified insecurity in several communities, leaving thousands dead, displacing residents and deepening tensions between religious groups.
“Violence by Fulani militants caused the highest number of deaths among all religious communities in Nigeria over the last year as compared to attacks by organised insurgent groups and criminal gangs,” the report stated.
The commission said although many of the attacks targeted Christian communities, Muslim communities had also suffered raids, killings and kidnappings.
Despite the growing scale of operations, the report noted that the militant groups do not operate under a centralised command structure.
However, USCIRF said some of the armed groups periodically collaborate with criminal gangs and extremist organisations.
“These actors operate in a variety of contexts and with a multiplicity of likely aims and motivations.
“While many Fulani militant groups wage independent attacks, others periodically coordinate with a wide range of other actors, from conventional bandit gangs seeking financial enrichment to recognised terrorist organisations that espouse a violent interpretation of Islam”, the report explained.
The report said militants frequently launch attacks on isolated rural communities at night, often using motorcycles, automatic weapons and machetes to instill fear and force residents to flee their ancestral lands.
“They often wield machetes and descend on vulnerable communities during the night, eliciting terror as a way to force victims to quickly leave and to achieve greater control of desired land,” USCIRF stated.
According to the commission, attacks by Fulani militants and other armed groups have displaced at least 1.3 million people across the Middle Belt, forcing many victims into overcrowded camps lacking adequate sanitation, humanitarian support and security protection.
The report documented several deadly attacks carried out in 2025 and early 2026, particularly in Benue State and Plateau State.
USCIRF cited one attack in Benue in June 2025 in which at least 200 people, including internally displaced persons sheltering in a Catholic mission, were reportedly killed.
The commission also referenced the massacre in Yelwata, where more than 200 Christians, described as “mostly sleeping women and children,” were allegedly killed while over 3,000 others were displaced.
According to the report, some attacks were deliberately timed to coincide with major Christian religious celebrations in order to maximise psychological impact on communities.
“Militant actors have often carried out operations during Christian holidays such as Christmas or Easter to further maximise the psychological impact,” the report stated.
USCIRF further disclosed that in February 2026, suspected Fulani militants reportedly killed at least 32 people in Niger State and attacked Holy Trinity Parish in the Kafanchan Diocese of Kaduna State, killing three persons and abducting 11 others, including parish priest Father Nathaniel Asuwaye.
The report also highlighted kidnappings targeting both Christian and Muslim worship centres.
“In February 2026, armed men kidnapped an imam and seven worshippers from a mosque in Plateau,” USCIRF stated, adding that the kidnappers demanded a ransom of N16 million.
It added that coordinated Palm Sunday and Easter attacks in April 2026 left dozens dead in Plateau, Kaduna and Benue states.
“On Easter Sunday, Fulani militants reportedly killed five worshippers at two churches in Kaduna State while abducting 31 others,” the report said.
USCIRF acknowledged that differing interpretations of the violence had complicated attempts to determine the motivations behind the attacks.
The commission noted that while some observers attribute the violence to environmental pressures, land disputes and economic competition between herders and farmers, others believe the attacks amount to systematic persecution of non-Muslims, particularly Christians.
“In fact, multiple and overlapping factors, including religion in many cases, likely spur Fulani militants to attack communities or individuals,” the report stated.
The commission criticised both federal and state authorities for what it described as inadequate responses to the attacks, noting longstanding complaints from affected communities over delayed security intervention.
“Victims have long reported that security forces are consistently slow to respond to attacks on their communities,” USCIRF said.
The report also stated that some Christian advocacy groups accused security agencies of bias in favour of Muslim communities during investigations and security operations.
Amid growing tensions, USCIRF noted that governors from 11 Nigerian states launched an initiative in June 2025 to establish ranch lands for herders as part of efforts to reduce recurring clashes over grazing routes and farmland.
At the federal level, the report linked renewed government actions to the October 2025 decision by then-US President Donald Trump to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged religious freedom violations.
Following the designation, President Bola Tinubu reportedly classified kidnappers and violent armed groups, including Fulani militants, as terrorists in December 2025.
USCIRF disclosed that Nigerian security agencies rescued 309 hostages during operations in Kogi State and Kwara State in January 2026, while 129 suspected Fulani militants were arrested and 55 others killed.
The report also highlighted increasing scrutiny surrounding the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, commonly known as MACBAN.
According to USCIRF, several Christian leaders accused the organisation of failing to prevent militant violence and land invasions allegedly carried out by armed herders.
However, MACBAN denied supporting criminality or extremist violence.
“We do not support, condone, harbour, finance, or protect any form of criminality, extremism or violence,” the association said, according to the report.
