By David Torough, Abuja

A report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has revealed that an estimated 30,000 armed Fulani militants are currently operating across Nigeria, worsening insecurity and religious freedom violations in several parts of the country.

The report, released in May 2026 and titled “Non-state Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants,” described the armed groups as some of the deadliest non-state actors responsible for violent attacks across the Middle Belt and Southern Nigeria.

According to the commission, the militants operate in clusters ranging from 10 to 1,000 fighters, carrying out coordinated assaults that have led to thousands of deaths, mass displacement and heightened religious tensions.

USCIRF stated that attacks linked to Fulani militants accounted for the highest number of deaths among religious communities in Nigeria in the past year, surpassing casualties attributed to organised insurgent groups and criminal gangs.

The report noted that although many attacks targeted Christian communities, Muslim communities had also suffered killings, kidnappings and raids.

It stated: “Violence by Fulani militants caused the highest number of deaths among all religious communities in Nigeria over the last year compared to attacks by organised insurgent groups and criminal gangs.”

The commission explained that while the groups lacked a central leadership structure, some factions occasionally collaborated with bandit networks and extremist organisations.

“These actors operate in a variety of contexts and with a multiplicity of likely aims and motivations,” the report said.

“While many Fulani militant groups wage independent attacks, others periodically coordinate with a wide range of actors, from conventional bandit gangs seeking financial enrichment to recognised terrorist organisations that espouse violent interpretations of Islam.”

USCIRF further disclosed that the militants often attack vulnerable rural communities at night, using motorcycles, automatic weapons and machetes to instill fear and force residents off their 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,” the report added.

According to the commission, attacks by Fulani militants and other armed groups have displaced at least 1.3 million people across the Middle Belt, with many victims now living in overcrowded camps lacking adequate security and sanitation.

The report highlighted several major attacks recorded in 2025 and early 2026, including killings in Benue and Plateau states.

It cited a June 2025 attack in Benue State in which at least 200 persons, including internally displaced persons taking shelter in a Catholic mission, were reportedly killed.

USCIRF also referenced the Yelwata massacre in Benue State, where more than 200 Christians, mostly women and children, were allegedly killed, while over 3,000 others were displaced.

The commission stated that some attacks were deliberately carried out during Christian religious celebrations to maximise psychological impact.

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

It further disclosed that in February 2026, suspected Fulani militants killed at least 32 persons in Niger State and attacked Holy Trinity Parish in the Kafanchan Diocese of Kaduna State, killing three persons and abducting 11 others, including the parish priest, Father Nathaniel Asuwaye.

The report also documented attacks on Muslim worshippers.

According to USCIRF, armed men abducted an imam and seven worshippers from a mosque in Plateau State in February 2026 and later demanded a ransom of N16 million.

The commission said Palm Sunday and Easter attacks in April 2026 also left dozens dead across 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 noted that conflicting narratives surrounding the violence had complicated efforts to establish the exact motives behind the attacks.

While some analysts attributed the violence to environmental pressures, land disputes and economic competition, others viewed the attacks as part of a broader campaign targeting non-Muslim communities.

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

The report also criticised the response of federal and state authorities, alleging that security agencies were often slow in responding to attacks.

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

It added that some Christian advocacy groups accused security operatives of showing bias toward Muslim communities during investigations and security operations.

The commission, however, noted that efforts were being made to address the crisis.

It disclosed that governors from 11 states launched an initiative in June 2025 to establish ranches for herders as part of measures to reduce clashes over grazing routes and farmlands.

At the federal level, the report linked renewed government actions to the October 2025 decision by the United States government under President Donald Trump to designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over religious freedom violations.

According to the report, President Bola Tinubu subsequently classified kidnappers and violent armed groups, including Fulani militants, as terrorists in December 2025.

USCIRF further stated that Nigerian security agencies rescued 309 kidnapped victims in January 2026 during operations in Kogi and Kwara states, while 129 suspected Fulani militants were arrested and 55 others killed.

The report also drew attention to the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, which has faced criticism from some Christian leaders over alleged failure to curb militant activities and land invasions.

However, the association denied any involvement in 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 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 ongoing security operations and peace-building initiatives, the commission warned that insecurity remained widespread across central Nigeria.

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

It added that the violence was likely to persist until both federal and state governments created conditions capable of guaranteeing the safe practice of religious freedom across affected communities.