A new report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has estimated that about 30,000 armed Fulani militants are operating across Nigeria in groups ranging from 10 to 1,000 members.
The report, released in May 2026 and titled “Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants,” described the armed groups as among the deadliest non-state actors responsible for religious freedom violations in the country.
According to the commission, attacks by armed actors of Fulani ethnic background have intensified insecurity across Nigeria’s Middle Belt and parts of the South, resulting in deaths, displacement and heightened interreligious tensions.
“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.
USCIRF noted that although many attacks targeted Christian communities, Muslim communities had also experienced killings, raids and abductions.
The report said the groups lacked centralised leadership but occasionally collaborated with criminal gangs and extremist organisations.
“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 commission said.
According to USCIRF, militants frequently attack rural communities at night using motorcycles, automatic weapons and machetes.
“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,” the report stated.
The commission said the violence had displaced at least 1.3 million people across the Middle Belt, with many forced into overcrowded camps with poor sanitation and limited security.
The report highlighted several incidents, including a June 2025 attack in Benue State that reportedly killed at least 200 people, including internally displaced persons sheltering in a Catholic mission.
USCIRF also referenced the 2025 Yelwata killings in Benue State, where more than 200 Christians were reportedly killed and over 3,000 displaced.
The commission further alleged that some attacks were deliberately timed around Christian religious celebrations.
“Militant actors have often carried out operations during Christian holidays such as Christmas or Easter to further maximise the psychological impact,” it said.
The report cited incidents in early 2026, including attacks in Niger, Kaduna, Plateau and Benue states.
It alleged that suspected Fulani militants killed at least 32 people in Niger State in February 2026 and attacked Holy Trinity Parish in Kafanchan Diocese, killing three people and abducting 11 others, including Father Nathaniel Asuwaye.
USCIRF also documented attacks on Muslim worshippers, including the February 2026 abduction of an imam and seven worshippers from a mosque in Plateau State, where kidnappers reportedly demanded ₦16 million ransom.
The report said Palm Sunday and Easter attacks in April 2026 also left dozens dead in Plateau, Kaduna and Benue states.
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On government response, USCIRF criticised federal and state authorities, saying communities had repeatedly complained of delayed security responses.
“Victims have long reported that security forces are consistently slow to respond to attacks on their communities,” the commission stated.
The report added that some Christian groups accused security agencies of bias in handling investigations and security operations.
USCIRF noted that governors from 11 states launched ranching initiatives in June 2025 to address farmer-herder conflicts.
The commission also linked recent federal measures to the decision by President Donald Trump in October 2025 to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over religious freedom issues.
According to the report, President Bola Tinubu subsequently classified kidnappers and violent armed groups, including Fulani militants, as terrorists in December 2025.
USCIRF said security agencies rescued 309 hostages during operations in Kogi and Kwara states in January 2026, while 129 suspected militants were arrested and 55 killed.
The report also mentioned scrutiny facing the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria over allegations by some Christian groups that it failed to stop violent attacks and land invasions.
MACBAN denied the allegations, saying: “We do not support, condone, harbour, finance, or protect any form of criminality, extremism or violence.”
The commission said the United States Congress introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 in February, proposing sanctions against MACBAN over alleged involvement in religious freedom violations.
USCIRF concluded that insecurity in central Nigeria remained severe and warned that the crisis could persist without broader reforms to improve safety and religious freedom protections.
