US report says 30,000 armed Fulani militants driving insecurity across Nigeria

Precious Omolu 09:37 - 27 May 2026

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A new USCIRF report estimates that 30,000 armed Fulani militants are operating in cells across Nigeria, driving a "perpetual crisis of insecurity" and religious freedom violations.

A new USCIRF report says about 30,000 armed Fulani militants are operating across Nigeria, fueling deadly attacks, kidnappings and religious violence, especially in Benue, Plateau and Kaduna states.

A US religious freedom commission report claimed 30,000 armed Fulani militants are behind worsening insecurity and deadly attacks across Nigeria.
The report said thousands have been killed and over 1.3 million people displaced, with Benue, Plateau and Kaduna among the worst-hit states.
USCIRF accused security agencies of slow responses to attacks, while the Nigerian government has increased military operations and classified violent armed groups as terrorists.

A new report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF, has claimed that about 30,000 armed Fulani militants are currently operating across Nigeria, worsening insecurity and fueling attacks in different parts of the country.

The report, released in May 2026 and titled “Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants,” described the groups as some of the deadliest non-state actors behind religious freedom violations in Nigeria today.

According to the commission, the militants operate in cells ranging from small groups of about 10 fighters to larger formations of up to 1,000 members spread across the Middle Belt and parts of Southern Nigeria.

The report said the violence linked to the armed groups has left thousands dead, displaced entire communities and deepened tensions between Christians and Muslims in several states.

According to the US commission, over 1.3 million people have been displaced in the Middle Belt due to persistent raids on rural farming communities.

“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 said many of the attacks targeted Christian communities, although Muslim communities have also suffered killings, kidnappings and raids carried out by armed groups.

The commission noted that the militants do not appear to operate under a single leadership structure, but some factions reportedly work 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 explained.

“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 said many of the attacks are usually carried out at night in remote communities, with attackers arriving on motorcycles and armed with guns 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,” USCIRF said.

The report highlights that militants often time their operations to coincide with religious holidays like Easter and Christmas to maximize "psychological impact."

The commission added that at least 1.3 million people have been displaced across Nigeria’s Middle Belt due to violence involving Fulani militants and other armed groups. Many of the displaced persons are reportedly living in overcrowded camps with poor sanitation and little security protection.

USCIRF referenced several deadly incidents recorded in 2025 and early 2026, especially in Benue and Plateau states, which have remained flashpoints for farmer-herder clashes and armed attacks over the years.

“One attack in Benue in June 2025 killed at least 200 people, including internally displaced persons living in a Catholic mission,” the report stated.

The commission also mentioned the Yelwata massacre in Benue State where more than 200 Christians were reportedly killed.

According to the report, many of the victims were “mostly sleeping women and children,” while over 3,000 residents were displaced after the attack.

USCIRF further alleged that some attacks were deliberately timed to coincide with Christian celebrations like Christmas and Easter in order to increase fear and psychological trauma.

“Militant actors have often carried out operations during Christian holidays such as Christmas or Easter to further maximise the psychological impact,” the report stated.

The report also cited attacks recorded in February 2026, including the killing of at least 32 persons in Niger State and an attack on Holy Trinity Parish in the Kafanchan Diocese of Kaduna State.

According to USCIRF, three persons were killed during the church attack while 11 others, including parish priest Father Nathaniel Asuwaye, were abducted.

The commission said kidnappings have affected both Christian and Muslim worship centres.

“In February 2026, armed men kidnapped an imam and seven worshipers from a mosque in Plateau,” USCIRF stated, adding that the kidnappers demanded a ransom of N16m.

Further attacks during Palm Sunday and Easter celebrations in April 2026 reportedly 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 added.

USCIRF acknowledged that there are conflicting views about what is driving the violence in Nigeria.

“Some observers have argued that environmental and economic factors are the driving force behind Fulani militants’ acts of violence, while others have suggested that these actors are engaged in a concerted campaign of outright genocide against non-Muslims, especially Christians.

“In fact, multiple and overlapping factors, including religion in many cases, likely spur Fulani militants to attack communities or individuals.”

While the Nigerian government has classified violent armed groups as terrorists, the USCIRF report criticizes the official response as often being "consistently slow."

The report also criticised Nigerian authorities over what it described as a weak response to repeated attacks.

“Victims have long reported that security forces are consistently slow to respond to attacks on their communities,” the commission stated.

USCIRF added that some Christian groups have accused security agencies of bias in favour of Muslim communities during investigations and security operations, an allegation Nigerian authorities have repeatedly denied in the past.

The report noted that governors from 11 states launched a ranching initiative in June 2025 aimed at reducing violent clashes between herders and farming communities over grazing routes and farmland.

At the federal level, USCIRF linked recent security actions to the decision by former US President Donald Trump to redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over religious freedom violations in October 2025.

Following that move, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reportedly classified kidnappers and violent armed groups, including Fulani militants, as terrorists in December 2025.

The commission also said Nigerian security forces rescued 309 hostages during operations carried out in Kogi and Kwara states in January 2026. During the operations, 129 suspected Fulani militants were arrested while 55 others were reportedly killed.

USCIRF further mentioned the growing scrutiny surrounding the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, popularly known as MACBAN.

Christian leaders have accused the group of failing to stop violent attacks and land invasions allegedly linked to armed herders, though the association denied supporting any criminal activity.

“We do not support, condone, harbour, finance, or protect any form of criminality, extremism or violence,” the association said, according to the report.

The commission also disclosed that the US Congress introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 in February, proposing sanctions against MACBAN over alleged involvement in serious religious freedom violations.

Despite ongoing military operations and peace-building efforts, USCIRF warned that insecurity in central Nigeria remains severe.

“As a result, central Nigeria remains entrenched in an intense, daily, and seemingly perpetual crisis of insecurity,” the report concluded.

The commission added that the violence may continue unless both federal and state governments create conditions that support peaceful coexistence and the protection of religious freedom across affected communities.