The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has released a report detailing how armed Fulani groups are fuelling insecurity and deepening religious tensions across Nigeria.
In the report released in May 2026, the commission estimated that about 30,000 armed Fulani militants are operating across different parts of the country in cells ranging from 10 to 1,000 members.
The document, titled “Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants,” described the groups as among the deadliest non-state actors responsible for religious freedom violations in Nigeria.
According to USCIRF, attacks linked to the militants have intensified insecurity across the Middle Belt and parts of Southern Nigeria, resulting in thousands of deaths and the displacement of large communities.
The commission stated that violence attributed to Fulani militants caused more fatalities among religious communities within the past year than attacks carried out by insurgents and criminal gangs.
While many of the attacks reportedly targeted Christian communities, the report noted that Muslim communities had also suffered killings, raids and kidnappings.
USCIRF explained that although the armed groups do not operate under a central leadership structure, some collaborate with bandit groups and extremist organisations.
“These actors operate in a variety of contexts and with a multiplicity of likely aims and motivations,” the commission stated.
It further explained that while some groups launched attacks independently, others coordinated with criminal gangs seeking financial gain and extremist organisations driven by radical ideologies.
According to the report, the militants often target isolated rural communities during night-time attacks 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.
USCIRF said the violence by Fulani militants and other armed groups had displaced at least 1.3 million people across the Middle Belt, with many victims forced into overcrowded camps lacking adequate sanitation and protection.
The report highlighted several deadly incidents recorded in 2025 and early 2026, particularly in Benue and Plateau states.
One of the incidents referenced by the commission was a June 2025 attack in Benue State where at least 200 people, including displaced persons sheltering in a Catholic mission, were reportedly killed.
The report also cited the Yelwata massacre in Benue State, where over 200 Christians, mostly women and children, were allegedly killed, while more than 3,000 residents were displaced.
According to USCIRF, some attacks were deliberately timed to coincide with Christian religious celebrations such as Christmas and Easter in order to maximise fear and psychological trauma.
The commission also alleged that suspected Fulani militants killed at least 32 persons in Niger State in February 2026 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.
USCIRF further documented kidnappings involving both Christians and Muslims.
It cited an incident in Plateau State in which armed men reportedly abducted an imam and seven worshippers from a mosque in February 2026 and demanded a ransom of N16 million.
The report added that attacks carried out during Palm Sunday and Easter celebrations 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 stated.
USCIRF acknowledged that there were differing views regarding the root causes of the violence.
While some analysts linked the attacks to environmental challenges and economic competition over land and grazing routes, others described the violence as targeted persecution against Christians.
“In fact, multiple and overlapping factors, including religion in many cases, likely spur Fulani militants to attack communities or individuals,” the report noted.
The commission criticised both federal and state authorities over what it described as inadequate responses to the attacks.
According to USCIRF, victims and local communities had repeatedly accused security agencies of responding slowly to violent incidents.
The report also noted allegations by some Christian advocacy groups that security agencies showed bias toward Muslim communities during investigations and security operations.
USCIRF referenced a June 2025 initiative by governors from 11 states to establish ranches for herders as part of efforts to reduce violent clashes between farmers and pastoralists.
The commission also linked renewed security measures by the Federal Government to the October 2025 decision by US President Donald Trump to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over 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 stated that Nigerian security agencies rescued 309 hostages during operations in Kogi and Kwara states in January 2026, arresting 129 suspected militants and killing 55 others.
The report also highlighted increasing scrutiny facing the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria over allegations that it failed to stop violent attacks and land invasions linked to armed herders.
However, the association denied supporting criminality.
“We do not support, condone, harbour, finance, or protect any form of criminality, extremism or violence,” the association said, according to the report.
USCIRF further disclosed that the US Congress introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 in February, proposing sanctions against the association over alleged involvement in severe religious freedom violations.
Despite recent military operations and peace-building efforts, the commission warned that insecurity remained widespread across central Nigeria.
The report concluded that the violence was likely to persist unless federal and state governments addressed the broader conditions necessary for lasting peace, security and religious freedom.
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