30,000 Armed Fulani Militants Terrorizing Nigeria – US Reports

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, USCIRF, has alleged that about 30,000 armed militants are operating across Nigeria, worsening insecurity and religious tension in several communities.

The allegation was contained in the commission’s May 2026 report titled, “Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants.”

According to the report, the armed groups operate in units ranging from 10 to 1,000 members and have become some of the deadliest non-state actors linked to violations of religious freedom in Nigeria.

The commission said attacks by the groups had intensified insecurity across the Middle Belt and parts of Southern Nigeria, leaving thousands dead, displacing many communities and deepening mistrust among religious groups.

“Violence by 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.

CHRISTIAN, MUSLIM COMMUNITIES AFFECTED

USCIRF said many of the attacks were directed at Christian communities, although Muslim communities had also suffered raids, killings and kidnappings.

The report noted that the armed groups do not operate under a single central leadership structure but alleged that some of them collaborate with criminal gangs and extremist organisations.

It stated, “These actors operate in a variety of contexts and with a multiplicity of likely aims and motivations.

“While many 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 the militants frequently attacked isolated rural communities at night, often using motorcycles and weapons to force residents to flee.

“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 said.

1.3 MILLION DISPLACED IN MIDDLE BELT

The report said attacks by the militants had displaced at least 1.3 million people in the Middle Belt.

It added that many of the displaced persons had been forced into overcrowded camps with poor sanitation and inadequate security.

USCIRF also documented several attacks carried out in 2025 and early 2026, including mass killings in Benue and Plateau states.

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

The commission also cited the Yelwata attack in Benue State in 2025, where it said more than 200 Christians, “mostly sleeping women and children,” were reportedly killed, while over 3,000 residents were displaced.

ATTACKS TIMED AROUND CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS

USCIRF alleged that some attacks were deliberately timed to coincide with Christian religious holidays in order to create greater fear among affected communities.

“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 commission said suspected militants killed at least 32 people in Niger State in February 2026.

It also reported an attack on Holy Trinity Parish in the Kafanchan Diocese of Kaduna State, where three people were killed and 11 others abducted, including the parish priest, Father Nathaniel Asuwaye.

The report further documented kidnappings targeting both churches and mosques.

“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 ₦16m.

The commission also said Palm Sunday and Easter attacks in April 2026 left several people dead in Plateau, Kaduna and Benue states.

“On Easter Sunday, militants reportedly killed five worshippers at two churches in Kaduna State while abducting 31 others,” the report added.

USCIRF said conflicting narratives around the violence had made it difficult to determine a single motive behind the attacks.

The commission noted that some observers had linked the violence to environmental pressures, grazing routes, farmland disputes and economic hardship.

It added that others had described the attacks as a deliberate campaign against non-Muslim communities, especially Christians.

The report stated, “Some observers have argued that environmental and economic factors are the driving force behind 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 militants to attack communities or individuals.”

The commission criticised federal and state authorities for what it described as inadequate responses to repeated attacks on vulnerable communities.

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

USCIRF also said some Christian advocates had accused security agencies of allegedly showing favouritism towards Muslim communities during investigations and security operations.

The report, however, noted that governors from 11 states launched an initiative in June 2025 to establish ranch lands for herders as part of efforts to reduce clashes over grazing routes and farmland.

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

Following the designation, the report said President Bola Tinubu classified kidnappers and violent armed groups, including Fulani militants, as “terrorists” in December 2025.

The commission said security agencies rescued 309 hostages in January 2026 during operations in Kogi and Kwara states.

It added that 129 suspected Fulani militants were arrested during the operations, while 55 others were killed.

MACBAN DENIES SUPPORTING VIOLENCE ATTACKS

USCIRF also said the United States Congress introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026 in February.

According to the commission, the bill proposed sanctions against the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria over allegations of involvement in severe religious freedom violations.

The report said MACBAN had come under increasing scrutiny following allegations by some Christian leaders that the association failed to stop militant violence and land invasions.

MACBAN, however, denied supporting 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.

Despite recent security operations and peace initiatives, USCIRF warned that violence remained widespread in central Nigeria.

The commission said the region continued to face daily insecurity, with many communities still vulnerable to attacks, displacement and religious tension.

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

It advised the Federal Government and affected state governments to “create broader underlying conditions that are more conducive to the safe practice of religious freedom.”