By Godwin Ogar
An estimated 30,000 armed Fulani militants are currently operating across Nigeria in groups ranging from 10 to 1,000 members, according to a May 2026 report released by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
The report identified the militants as some of the deadliest non-state actors responsible for religious freedom violations in the country.
Titled “Non-state Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants,” the report stated that attacks by armed actors of Fulani ethnic background have intensified insecurity across Nigeria’s Middle Belt and Southern regions, leading to thousands of deaths, mass displacement and worsening tensions among religious communities.
According to USCIRF, violence linked to Fulani militants caused more deaths among religious communities in the past year than attacks carried out by organised insurgent groups or criminal gangs.
The commission noted that although many attacks targeted Christian communities, Muslim communities had also experienced raids, kidnappings and killings.
Despite lacking a centralised command structure, the report stated that some Fulani militant groups collaborate with criminal gangs and extremist organisations.
“These actors operate in a variety of contexts and with a multiplicity of likely aims and motivations,” the report said.
It added that while some groups act independently, others occasionally coordinate with bandit groups seeking financial gain and terrorist organisations promoting violent extremist ideologies.
USCIRF said the militants often attack remote rural communities at night, arriving on motorcycles and armed with automatic weapons and machetes.
The report explained that such attacks are frequently aimed at forcing residents to flee their lands through fear and violence.
The commission estimated that attacks by Fulani militants and other armed groups have displaced at least 1.3 million people across the Middle Belt, with many victims living in overcrowded camps lacking proper sanitation and security.
Several incidents from 2025 and early 2026 were highlighted in the report, including mass killings in Benue and Plateau states.
One attack in Benue State in June 2025 reportedly killed at least 200 people, including displaced persons sheltering in a Catholic mission.
USCIRF also referenced the Yelwata massacre in Benue, where more than 200 Christians — mostly women and children — were reportedly killed; while over 3,000 others were displaced.
According to the report, some attacks were deliberately timed to coincide with Christian religious celebrations such as Christmas and Easter in order to maximise psychological impact.
In February 2026, suspected Fulani militants reportedly killed at least 32 people in Niger State and attacked Holy Trinity Parish in Kaduna State’s Kafanchan Diocese, killing three persons and abducting 11 others, including parish priest Father Nathaniel Asuwaye.
The report also documented attacks on Muslim worshippers, including the abduction of an imam and seven worshippers from a mosque in Plateau State in February 2026. The kidnappers reportedly demanded a ransom of N16 million.
USCIRF said Palm Sunday and Easter attacks in April 2026 left dozens dead across Plateau, Kaduna and Benue states.
It added that on Easter Sunday, militants reportedly killed five worshippers in two churches in Kaduna State and abducted 31 others.
The commission said differing interpretations of the violence have complicated efforts to determine the motivations behind the attacks.
While some observers blame environmental and economic pressures, others argue the violence amounts to a coordinated campaign against non-Muslims, particularly Christians.
USCIRF maintained that multiple overlapping factors, including religion, likely contribute to the attacks.
The report criticised both federal and state authorities for what it described as inadequate responses to the violence, noting complaints from victims that security forces are often slow to respond during attacks.
